


Choose This Event Story?

by nowjkjkjklololol



Category: Samurai Love Ballad: PARTY, 天下統一恋の乱 | Sakura Amidst Chaos | Samurai Love Ballad (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, Multi, samurai love ballad party
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:54:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 58,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26707039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nowjkjkjklololol/pseuds/nowjkjkjklololol
Summary: A series of events leads Angel (MC) to move in with her childhood friend Inuchiyo and his roommates. Drama, confusion, awkwardness, flirting, and much more ensue!
Relationships: Fujibayashi Genya/Main Character, Main Character (Sakura Amidst Chaos)/Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Comments: 15
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

College would be starting in less that a week. It was Angel’s first year, but upon reaching the campus as she drove into town in a car crammed full of her things, it was like visiting a foreign landmark; everything was familiar despite it being her first time there. After graduation, she had decided to follow her closest friend after hearing his stories about the campus and the teachers and the city itself; Inuchiyo was four years older than her, but they’d grown up practically hand in hand until he’d left for college, so he’d sent her countless descriptions and photos of the place during their now-long-distance friendship. There was the coffee place he said he went to every day on his way to class. That building over there was the gym, she recognized it from the curved wall of windows along the front. If she took this turn, it would put her on Avenue H, which would lead her to parking lot 7, which was where she was planning to meet...

“Inuchiyo!” Angel shouted out of her open window as she turned into the nearly-empty parking lot and drove straight towards a familiar red SUV with a trailer hooked up to the back. She threw her car into park and flung her door open to launch herself into her best friend’s arms. It felt like it had been _forever_ since she’d last seen him. He hugged her back for a long moment before holding her at arms length.

“Hey, Angel. You look great," he said with a grin as he tousled her hair. She swatted him away, giggling, in a familiar move they’d repeated countless times.

“You too,” Angel beamed, and then really took a good look at the man, mentally comparing him with the somewhat awkward teen she last saw him as. The Inuchiyo before her was stronger looking, more confident, and _definitely_ more muscular and fit than before, if she were going to admit to noticing. Only the comfortingly familiar features in his face and the way he wore his floppy black hair made him recognizable as the boy next door. “Man, what are they feeding you guys out here? I barely recognize you!”

Angel saw a blush creep up Inuchiyo's cheeks. He gave her an awkward laugh and a wink, trying to play it off, before his eyes trailed a slow path over every inch of her, from the crown of her head, to the soles of her shoes. She felt her face get warm.

“All the credit goes to hard work and our gym. I’ll bring you along with me sometime.” Before she could stop herself, the mental picture of Inuchiyo shirtless and sweating as his muscles strained and flexed under a set of weights- oh god. Angel shook herself, trying not to think like that. He was as good as a brother, and this was just her brain working through how hot he’d gotten since she’d last seen him. She was so thoroughly distracted, it took her a few seconds to realize Inuchiyo had just asked her something.

“Uh, what?” Angel stammered, and for whatever reason that made her friend laugh hard and tousle her hair again.

“I asked if you were okay with my plan?" When Angel continued to look at him confused, he huffed. "I guess you missed that too. Come on, get focused," he teased, crossing his arms and drawing Angel's eyes to the broad expanse of his chest. “We stop by your place first, then do my place. Hideyoshi should be there to help with the furniture. Then pizza and beer." Angel nodded happily, then they both got back in their vehicles.

The college required that all incoming freshman who did not live in town spend a year in student housing. Angel had received her roommate’s email address to contact them over the summer, but the girl had never responded back, so she had no idea what to expect. As it happened, when she and Inuchiyo entered the two-bedroom unit, they found no one home but dishes and groceries in the kitchen and one closed and locked door. The two of them quickly unloaded Angel’s packed car into the available room, then she locked both the room and the unit before they left.

Inuchiyo was moving into a new residence, too, but his was a move into an off-campus, four bedroom house just down the road from the strip of bars the locals referred to as Beer Avenue. He and his friend Hideyoshi had decided to try to find a place of their own, and they’d used a campus roommate-finder group on Facebook to source their last two roommates. All he knew about them were their names, and since he’d opted to put off moving until Angel came to town, he would be the last one of the four to get there.

Angel followed Inuchiyo to the address, which was across campus from where she would be but easily within walking distance. The house was quaint, with a massive front porch and a red brick exterior. Everything about the home and the neighborhood seemed calm and peaceful, right up until Inuchiyo unlocked the door and pushed it open for them.

The scene in front of them was so odd it was comical. There were three men in the living room directly in the line of sight of the front door; one was a brunette with his back to the door, clearly an observer to the commotion as well. One was a taller man with hair that was such a dark blue it was nearly black, who was facing down the third man furiously, judging by his posture. The third man was his opposite in every way; he was lounging across the couch behind a coffee table littered with cards, the kind of chips you’d see at casinos, and a bong, while smirking up at the shouting guy.

“-was _more_ than generous of me to say that I would look the other way about you smoking indoors, but this- this-“ The blue-haired roommate spluttered to a stop, hands balled into fists, as the man on the couch averted his eyes and let a slow grin spread across his face; he’d spotted Inuchiyo and Angel frozen in the doorway behind his aggressor, and Angel’s heart fluttered as she realized that sultry smile was directed at _her._

“Now, now, Mitsu. There’s no need to shout like that in front of a lady,” he admonished lazily, shooting Angel a broad wink that got a blush rising in her cheeks. Who the fuck _was_ this guy? 

His words seemed to remind Inuchiyo of Angel’s presence at his side as well as announce it to the other two. Her best friend stepped inside, setting down the box he was carrying, and crossed his arms while the two who’d been facing away spun towards them.

“Hey, man, you finally made it!” The brunette smiled hugely, disregarding the tension immediately as he approached them. “I’m Hideyoshi. Sorry about that,” he introduced himself to Angel as he relieved her of the box she was holding and ushered her inside. Then he shot Inuchiyo a look over her head that was pure mischief. Before he could voice whatever thought had put such an expression on his face, the guy on the couch beat him to the punch.

“Come have a seat, gorgeous,” he offered innocently, but rather than move and make space for her, he reclined further, which made no sense because with him in that position the only way she could sit would be if she sat on h-

Angel felt her face go scarlet at the same time that the blue-haired man pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long, slow breath.

“You are, without question, the biggest good-for-nothing, lowlife, worthless-“

“Alright, enough.” Inuchiyo stepped further into the room, frowning. “What’s going on?” Hideyoshi sidled up to Angel, elbowing her gently in a conspiratorial way.

“Watch, he’s gonna get all bossy on them before he even introduces himself,” the brunette whispered with a low laugh, standing so close that his arm that wasn’t holding the box brushed against hers.

“Dunno. Mitsu got all bent out of shape over me and a few friends playing cards, and he-“ The man on the couch began to say, but his words drove the dark haired man to anger again.

“You were _gambling_ for _drugs_ on our _coffee table,_ you insufferable little-“ Before he could really let loose, Inuchiyo took another step forward and placed a hand on his chest, and the man bit his tongue.

“Woulda won, too, if you hadn’t scared my buddies out. As a matter of fact, it sorta seems like you owe me some dr-“ the man on the couch began, a Cheshire-cat smile spreading across his lips, until Inuchiyo stopped him with a look.

“Don’t finish that thought. We can have a meeting about expectations for one another later.” As Inuchiyo glared at the two of them, Hideyoshi laughed quietly into Angel’s ear.

“See, I told you. Let’s start moving stuff while they get things squared up.” He nudged her casually and then led the way down a hallway to the left, turning in to the last room on the right. He set the box down and then rounded on her with a smile and an eager look. “So are you Inuchiyo’s girlfriend?”

“What? No, I’m just- Inuchiyo has a girlfriend?” Caught off guard, her words tumbled from her lips before she could think them through. Angel mentally chided myself; of course Inuchiyo probably had a girlfriend...she hadn’t even seen him in years. They weren’t even like that. Hideyoshi kept talking, as if he didn’t see how his words had shaken her.

“Yeah, he’s always going on and on about his girl, I thought we were gonna be meeting her.” There was no reason for her to be feeling the way she did at those words. Inuchiyo was practically family. _Angel_ should want to meet this girlfriend, make sure she was good for him. That sounded right. She was probably just confusing protective feelings for what she briefly thought was...jealousy. Angel put on what was hopefully a convincing grin.

“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not the girlfriend, just the girl next door.” Hideyoshi’s eyes flicked from hers to somewhere over her shoulder for a fraction of a second before his expression shifted into something playful and he gave her a big wink.

“I’m not disappointed at all...quite the opposite, actually. Does that mean I’m free to ask you to dinner?” Angel felt herself getting warm as she opened her mouth, not knowing how she even planned to respond, when-

“No. Go get some stuff from my car.” Inuchiyo’s voice was hard as he barked at his friend, and Hideyoshi chuckled lightly while leaving as Angel spun to see her not-boyfriend in the doorway. Was it her, or was his face a little flushed, too? He was glaring at the brunette all the way down the hall.

“You have a girlfriend and you didn’t tell me?” Angel asked, careful to sound teasing and not hurt. Inuchiyo rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, looking anywhere but her.

“Yeah, listen, about that-“ Before he could give her an explanation, they heard Hideyoshi yelling from somewhere in the house.

“Oi, I can’t move a bed in by myself, one of you needs to get out here and help!”

“Oh,” Angel said, taking advantage and sidestepping both Inuchiyo and the awkward conversation, “we should go help out. Let’s go!” She didn’t really want to hear more about his girlfriend, if she were being honest. Some annoying feeling began needling her heart as soon as he’d said ‘yeah.’ She hastily made her exit and began helping the guys as they all made quick work of unloading the car and the trailer.

By the time everything was unloaded and inside, the five of them were all more than ready for a break. Inuchiyo stepped into the kitchen to order them pizza in relative quiet while the rest of them took up places in the living room; Hideyoshi and the blue-haired man took the loveseat, while the guy who’d been on the couch before kept his position upright so Angel could sit on the other end. As she let herself sink into her seat, Angel noticed the man on the couch looking over at her with a lazy smile.

“I’m Genya,” he hummed pleasantly, “Gen. You’re Inuchiyo’s girl?” Rather than seeming put off, he was giving her an appraising look, but Hideyoshi leaned forward and answered for her.

“Nah, apparently they’re former neighbors.” Suddenly, the look Gen was giving her could have melted ice. 

“I didn’t realize what a fool Inuchiyo is,” he teased, shifting closer to her in a move that was so subtle, Angel didn’t quite actually see when he went from being on the far side of the couch to in the middle. 

“At last, like recognizes like,” the man they’d called ‘Mitsu’ retorted under his breath, and Angel couldn’t prevent a giggle from escaping her...which turned into an actual laugh when Gen gracefully threw himself down, head in her lap, and clutched at his chest while winking up at her.

“Oh, you wound me, Mitsu. Do you see how they treat me?” he asked Angel playfully, and Hideyoshi threw a pillow at him.

“Better watch it, Gen. Toshiie may be a giant puppy, but don’t forget, dogs are protective. He already snapped at me,” the brunette teased, but Gen just rolled his eyes dramatically to look back up at Angel.

“Worth it,” he decided with a chuckle as Angel blushed again. The dark-haired man sighed deeply, and Hideyoshi stuck out his tongue.

“Well, food will be here in-“ Inuchiyo’s voice cut off as he came into the room carrying a case of beer and spotted Gen draped into Angel’s lap. Stifled giggles erupted from Hideyoshi’s direction as Inuchiyo leveled a gaze at Gen that was so hostile, even Angel wanted to shrink away from it. Then he started shouting. “Get off her, you bastard! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” For a moment, it looked like Gen was going to ignore the furious Inuchiyo, but Angel shifted uncomfortably underneath him and he sat up with a huff.

“Bro, you’ve already got a girl. You can’t have ‘em all,” he said with a smirk, but Inuchiyo was not amused. He set the case of beer down on an edge of the coffee table and used it like a plow to push Gen’s things out of the way and off the table to make space. Gen dove after his bong with a curse, then glared as Inuchiyo took the middle seat on the couch. Hideyoshi was already tearing the cardboard box open, passing a beer to Angel before taking a few for himself and Mitsu. While Gen and Inuchiyo each got their own, Angel fiddled with hers, unopened. 

She drank occasionally, sure, but...beer was gross. She had planned on just not taking one, because she felt like it would be unspeakably impolite to ask Inuchiyo to get something just for her, but now she needed to figure out how to abandon the drink without anyone noticing. She took a breath, set her drink down, then turned to her best friend with the first thing that came to mind.

“So tell me about this girlfriend,” she began, and Inuchiyo almost choked on the swig of beer he’d just taken. Hideyoshi chimed in with a wicked smile.

“Yeah, what gives? With as much as you talk about this girl, I was sure you’d be bringing her with you. Not to say I’m not happy he brought you, uhh,” Hideyoshi paused, and Angel realized she’d never introduced herself.

“Oh, right, I’m Angel.” She gave the tiniest of waves and hoped her smile didn’t seem nervous. Hideyoshi beamed, but it was Gen who commented first.

“Well of course you are, gorgeous,” he teased playfully with a broad wink that made Inuchiyo punch his arm. Mitsu leaned back and rolled his eyes while two were bickering.

“This is Mitsunari,” Hideyoshi said, noticing her gaze. “He’s a good guy once he warms up to you.” Angel was surprised at how genuine he seemed, especially with the harsh look the man in question was giving her. Inuchiyo shot him a suspicious look.

“Are you lot gonna be this unbearable every time we have company?” he grumbled, and Hideyoshi put on a completely innocent expression that made Angel laugh to herself.

“Don’t worry, we’ll behave properly when you bring your lady friend by.” Inuchiyo glowered at the brunette, and Gen took the opening to join in the teasing.

“She must be pretty fantastic to have distracted you from your _friends,_ ya know?” he added, throwing another wink at Angel with the inflection.

“She’s...yeah, something special, alright,” Inuchiyo gave in with a groan, eyes downcast and face turning pink under the scrutiny of the room. Angel felt a bit bad for him; she’d never seen him express much interest in any girl in particular, so if this one had gotten her friend’s attention, she _must_ be special. Angel needed to step it up as a friend. She placed a hand on his forearm, looking up at him with clear focus as he met her eyes.

“What do you like about her? What’s she like?” Angel smiled widely, crinkling her eyes and tilting her head in just the way he’d always been unable to say ‘no’ to. It was her ‘puppy dog eyes’ face but even more irresistible, he’d told her once when she was about eight. He held her stare for a few seconds before turning to the group at large with a somewhat chagrined laugh.

“What to say? I don’t know, everything about her is awesome.” The doorbell rang, and Mitsunari got up to answer it as Hideyoshi leaned forward and put his head in his hands in an exaggerated expression of interest.

“Tell us something about her,” Hideyoshi insisted, while Angel nodded along. Inuchiyo shut his eyes, apparently in thought.

“She has the kindest heart, even if she acts like she wants to be tough. She’s fun. She gets me.” Inuchiyo’s face was as red as a tomato at this point, and Angel caught him glancing sideways at her a few times. Was he worried he’d upset her? That he was embarrassing himself?

“That’s sweet,” Gen cooed, and he and Hideyoshi shared a look. Then they broke into matching, mischievous smirks. Inuchiyo’s eyes narrowed.

“So where’d you meet her?” Hideyoshi asked, and Inuchiyo huffed.

“School,” he answered brusquely, and Gen tagged in.

“What sorta stuff is she into?” At this, Inuchiyo looked dumbfounded for a second before he straightened out his features.

“Lots, but we do different kinds of things when we’re together.” His answer seemed innocuous enough to Angel, right up until both Hideyoshi and Gen began making a bunch of noise, laughing and wolf whistling and- she realized what they were all implying and turned away to hide her furiously blushing face, mortified. Oh god she did _not_ want to imagine her very best friend fucking some random girl. Still, she was unable to keep the image from flashing behind her eyelids, and with it came a sharp pang. “Alright, fuck you guys, that’s-“ Inuchiyo began, but Mitsunari arriving back with the pizzas interrupted him as the incorrigible duo quickly dove in to it, loudly brushing off Inuchiyo’s defense as a topic for when they weren’t trying to eat.

The group of them hung out for quite some time, laughing and getting to know one another a bit better. After a while, Gen loaded up his bong and Mitsu stormed out amidst another angry tirade at the man. Next to depart was Gen himself who, after another long stretch, invited anyone who wanted to join him to go to a little place he liked to go to gamble and then practically disappeared after giving a little wave and a wink towards Angel. 

Sitting with just Hideyoshi and Inuchiyo was the most comfortable Angel had been in...well, since her best friend had left, honestly. She’d missed him more than she’d cared to admit, and being so relaxed with him and someone who was clearly a very good friend of his just felt so natural. She’d probably more than worn out her welcome, so when one in the morning rolled around, she decided to head back to her new place and get her own unpacking started. Despite protests from both men and after very big hugs from each of them, Angel made her way out the door. Just as she was pulling it shut behind her, she heard their parting exchange.

“So...Angel, huh?” Hideyoshi purred, and there was a dull thump.

“I really hate you,” Inuchiyo growled, and Angel had to suppress her laughter as the door clicked into place. She spent the whole drive home enjoying a pleasant, bubbly feeling growing within her.


	2. Chapter 2

Weeks went by, and Angel began to settle into her new life on campus. She had met her roommate briefly, but the girl was always out partying or home with a bunch of friends partying and frankly scared Angel a little in their brief interactions, so she typically avoided Yuki and hid in her room or else avoided the dorm entirely. Angel had a full course schedule and spent a good portion of her free time at Inuchiyo’s place anyway, so it wasn’t that difficult to do, but it did mean she often found herself waiting around campus between classes.

Well, until recently, at least. Now...

“Class is starting,” a soft male voice drifted through the cracked door of the women’s restroom located across and a few doors down the hallway from where her Art History 1040 course was located.

“Thanks, Saku. I owe you one,” Angel whispered back, and she caught sight of a sliver of her raven-haired friend as he nodded and disappeared. Sakuya was in the same class as her, often obscenely early like she was, and the two had started talking before every class. Their casual, convenient friendship started solidifying into an actual one after the stuff with their professor started.

Professor Juami had a reputation for his flirtatious behavior with his female students. He was in some way related to one of the school’s biggest donor families, the Oda family, who even had a son who played quarterback for the school’s football team or something. Angel wasn’t really interested in any of the gossip about their professor at first; not until it started affecting her.

At first, Angel noticed that she would often catch Juami’s eyes on her when she looked up from her notes, or while he was lecturing. Or that he’d linger at her desk for a moment while passing back graded papers. That was all bad enough; then he’d started to intrude on the time she spent with Saku.

He’d first found them on his way into class one day, and had stopped and awkwardly inserted himself into their conversation until class was just minutes from starting. The next day he was earlier, and even more so the following day, which is how she ended up hiding in the women’s bathroom today. She was so uncomfortable around him; his staring, his ‘casual’ touching, the way everything he said seemed to lead right back to her personal life, no matter how she and Saku tried to change the subject.

Angel gathered up her things quickly and rushed back to the classroom, coming in right after Juami had begun lecturing. She slid into the open spot Sakuya had saved for her in the back of class, _feeling_ their professor’s eyes on her despite busying herself with taking out her things for notes.

“You’re the best,” she muttered lowly, and saw Saku incline his head forward in acknowledgment out of the corner of her eye. “He’s seriously starting to freak me out.” Angel saw him bite his lip as if wanting to say something, but Juami began asking the class questions, so they both dropped it. Eighty six minutes later, Juami released the class to go, but in the bustle of the entire lecture hall simultaneously packing up and making for the exit, he called out over the class.

“Miss Basile, a word if I may?” The words rolled through the space over his still-connected microphone, and Angel flinched; there was no pretending she hadn’t heard that. Sakuya was watching her, his expression hard.

“I’ll stay,” he muttered, and stepped out of the throngs of students leaving the room with her. He stood by the doors, watching her as she wove her way to the front of the room where Juami was waiting. When she stopped a few feet away from him, giving a very forced smile, he took a step closer.

“Are you feeling well?” he asked, looking _too_ concerned. Angel gave a laugh, waving a hand dismissively.

“Oh, no, I’m alright, thank you,” she asserted, taking a step back. Most of the class had emptied out, leaving just a few stragglers and Saku holding his silent vigil. Juami seemed well aware of this as he followed her with another step forward of his own and reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder.

“You can have a lie down in my office,” he continued as if she hadn’t even spoken. “I’ll make sure you’re excused if you miss any other classes today.” Angel tried to keep the revulsion off her face as she tried unsuccessfully to shift her shoulder out from under his hand.

“Really, I appreciate the offer, but there’s no need,” she insisted, then shot a desperate look at Saku, making sure there was still a witness to what was going on. He was frowning, but still watching them closely. Juami followed her gaze and his expression grew dark. He leaned closer, and Angel felt her skin crawl as his breath blew across her.

“If you are needing help avoiding unwanted attention from a fellow classmate, I can take care of that as well,” Juami murmured, and Angel drew back, pulling herself out from under his hand.

“Oh, I think you have the wrong impression,” she stammered, looking back towards the doors and feeling her heart sink when she no longer saw Sakuya in his position to the side of them. “It’s not- I’m just-“ Angel was floundering when she heard another voice at her back from just over her shoulder, and she nearly sagged with relief.

“Sorry, Angel, but if you can still give me a ride to work, we need to leave,” Saku murmured, and then met the professor’s glare with a hard stare of his own. When Angel nodded eagerly, Juami stepped back with a tight-lipped smile. 

“Take care of yourself, my dear,” he sang as Angel whirled around, grabbing Saku’s arm and all but dragging him from the room with her.

 _”Thank you,”_ she muttered to Saku fervently as they walked quickly away from the building. “You’re my hero. I don’t know what to do about that creep.” Saku said nothing, but his grim expression tightened. He walked with her all the way to the bus stop and was still standing there when she looked back as the bus began to pull away from the curb. Then she began to text Inuchiyo, confirming she was on her way. This was routine for them, already the plan without having to make a plan.

When she got to their home, Angel let herself in without any hesitation. This, too, was routine; all of the men living there had grown used to her coming and going like she was a resident there as well. As usual, Gen was sprawled on the larger couch while Inuchiyo sat on the smaller one, clearly waiting for her. When she burst in, both of them startled at the sound.

“Today has been soo bad,” Angel moaned, letting herself drop onto the seat next to Inuchiyo and put her feet in his lap. “One of my professors...”

“Ah, cheer up gorgeous,” Gen drawled as he settled himself back into his spot, “classes always suck, but you’ll get through it.” Inuchiyo glared at his lazy roommate, but nodded in agreement.

“He’s right, Angel. You always work so hard.” Angel huffed and rolled her eyes.

“If this was about my _work ethic,_ I wouldn’t be complaining...shouldn’t you know that by now?” she teased gently, but couldn’t fully shake her bad mood. Inuchiyo paused with a confused look at that, though, and even Gen pushed himself more upright.

“What is it, then?” Inuchiyo pressed, and Angel sighed.

“My professor’s been getting really creepy,” she murmured, scowling at the memory. “Today a classmate had to bail me out to get me outta there, the professor was asking if I wanted to go ‘lie down’ in his office in case I was sick.” 

“WHAT?!” Inuchiyo boomed at the same time Gen exclaimed, ‘the heck?!’ and Angel jumped at their combined outrage. Eyes wide, she explained.

“Well, he’d been staring at me and then he started coming up where me and a classmate would hang out before the lecture and then today I just couldn’t take it so I hid in the bathroom until the class had started and I thought I’d avoided him...until he asked me to stay back after class.” Angel winced, considering whether or not she would have been better off ignoring Juami when he’d called her name, but pressed on, “Then he put his hand on my shoulder and kept leaning closer to me while he asked if I was sick and if I wanted to lay down in his office, until my friend stepped in and pretended he needed a ride to work and said we had to go.” Inuchiyo and Gen had kept quiet while she’d been talking, but as soon as she finished, Inuchiyo slammed his fist on the arm of the couch.

“Report the pervert! What are you thinking, Angel?” he demanded furiously, locking her into an intense stare. Gen kept silent, but looked no less concerned.

“He hasn’t really done anything I could report him for,” she sighed heavily. “If I went to an administrator and tried to justify it, all I could say is that he likes to talk to his students, offered to let me rest when he was concerned I was sick, and that he touched my shoulders and arms. He hasn’t _technically_ done anything wrong, he just makes me incredibly uncomfortable.” Inuchiyo growled, muttering under his breath as he shifted her feet out of his lap and got up to pace around the room. Gen was staring at her, looking like he wanted to say something, but ultimately stayed quiet as Inuchiyo began to rant.

“That should be more than enough reason! Can you just switch to a different class? Or a different professor?” He stopped his pacing to face her, and he looked more livid than she’d seen him in a long time. Angel chewed her lip.

“Maybe,” she replied thoughtfully, “I haven’t really needed to consider it until now.” She pulled out her phone and began to search for her department advisors. “I’ll set up an appointment and see if I can do anything.” Inuchiyo nodded, seeming appeased, and then headed to his room. Angel sighed, finished sending the email asking to make an appointment with an advisor, and then flopped backwards to lay on the couch. Today was too much. It was just-

“You look like you need to chill out,” Gen interrupted Angel’s inner lament, surprising her. He was watching her, body and posture completely relaxed despite the intensity with which he focused on her. Angel huffed.

“You’re probably right,” she admitted, “but that’s easier said than done.” Gen nodded, but a small smile grew on his lips.

“I can help with that. Skip the workout today and hang out with me.” Angel’s eyes went wide. Oh shit. She’d forgotten in her rush to escape from Juami, but today was one of the days she and Inuchiyo always went to the gym together. She normally would have stopped by her dorm to pick up her gym bag, but she’d totally been too wrapped up in her own head to remember. Inuchiyo walked back in then, his own bag slung over his shoulder and obviously ready to go. Angel groaned.

“Oh no! I totally forgot to go get my stuff,” she admitted, and Inuchiyo looked exasperated while Gen’s smile grew broader. 

“We can go by there first,” Inuchiyo decided, but Angel shook her head.

“That would just end up wasting time. It’s okay, I’ll skip today and just hang out til you’re done.” Inuchiyo shot a suspicious look at Gen before reluctantly agreeing.

“Fine. I won’t be too long,” he added in a tone that suggested he was warning Gen not to try anything funny before heading out the door. Then he was gone, leaving Gen and Angel alone.

It wasn’t like this was the first time they’d ever been alone together, but usually it was for brief periods while they were both doing their own thing. This felt different somehow, more private, and a tiny fluttering of nerves left Angel feeling awkward for a moment. That is, until Gen grinned at her.

“I’ve noticed you don’t drink with us when Toshiie brings out the beer...is that because you don’t like to drink, or because you don’t like the beer?” Angel was completely caught off-guard by Gen’s shrewd assessment; she hadn’t been aware that any of the guys had taken notice of her avoiding the beer, least of all him.

“Uh...the beer,” she admitted with a slight blush. She felt like even saying that made her seem spoiled, like she was too good for their beer, but Gen just gave her a soft smile.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. I’ve got something else if you wanna drink with me,” he offered offhandedly. Angel bit her lip.

“What do you have?” she asked, not wanting to say yes before knowing what she was getting into. He smirked, pushing himself up off the couch.

“What would you like?” he countered, and Angel smiled despite herself. Something about Genya made it easy to feel comfortable around him. She decided for something most people would probably consider a staple.

“Vodka?” she requested timidly, and Gen winked in response before disappearing down the hallway towards the bedrooms. He returned swiftly with a large bottle, which he carried past her towards the kitchen.

“Come on,” he breezed as he passed by. “I’ll make you a drink.” Angel got up and tailed him to their small kitchen, where he set down the bottle and pulled out a few glasses. While he went digging around in their refrigerator, she peeked at the bottle. If she remembered right, she’d heard good things about Belvedere; he probably knew enough to make her something she could drink.

“I’m sorry,” she blurted out as Gen put his findings on the counter and got to work. “I didn’t mean for you to have to go to all this trouble...”

“Don’t worry about it,” he answered easily, seeming completely unbothered. “Besides, you’ve had a tough day.” She laughed at that and leaned against the counter beside him, facing away from what he was doing.

“Then thank you for the bar service,” she teased, and Genya looked up to throw her a wink. 

“Yeah well, a lot of girls I know don’t like beer. Toshiie shoulda known better.” Then, with a small flourish he presented her with a pink drink dotted with maraschino cherries. “That should be sweet enough to match your smile.” Angel blushed furiously, taking the glass with a murmur of thanks before distracting herself by sipping it. It was...woah. It was _really_ good. Sugary sweetness with a slightly tart hint completely masked the taste of the liquor, and Angel quickly changed from sipping to earnestly drinking.

“Oh my god, _Gen_! This is delicious,” she praised him enthusiastically while he made himself a drink as well. He chuckled, turning around and clinking his glass against hers before knocking back a good portion in a single swallow.

“Glad ya like it. Now come me with me, gorgeous.” His tone was coaxing, and she took another long gulp from her glass before following him with a smile. “I’ve got something to get you good and distracted.” That got her attention, especially as he made no move towards the couch and kept heading towards the hallway instead.

“Oh yeah?” she asked, hesitating fractionally. Gen laughed, turning his head to throw her a look that made her heart flutter for some reason.

“I’ve got some classic video games and some good old-fashioned competitive spirit. Thought we could even make a drinking game of it. Whaddya say?” Angel beamed, picking up her pace to follow him back to his room, already starting to feel her fighting spirit - or maybe the alcohol- rising to the surface.

“You’re so going down,” she taunted, brushing past him at the doorway and parking herself on the edge of his bed in front of the large TV setup he had. She heard his low chuckle as he went to power everything up.

“Maybe,” he purred, and Angel took yet another big drink to stop herself from thinking about how suggestive that had sounded.


	3. Chapter 3

Inuchiyo had stayed at the gym a little later than he and Angel normally would have; the anger burning him from thoughts of a professor creeping on _his_ Angel drove him to try to work it out physically. He’d been ‘wrapping up’ his workout with a punching bag for the last forty-five minutes. _Angel._ He battered the weighted bag. _His best friend._ He let loose another barrage, then hopped back. _He’d loved her since he knew what love was._ He threw himself at the bag, muscles bunching and sweat flying as he wailed on it until he finally slumped against it limply, panting. That was when he noticed his phone ringing loudly through the quite gym. _Shit,_ he’d forgotten to silence it. He grabbed his water and his towel and jogged towards his locker, quickly digging out his phone.

“What is it, Hideyoshi?” he snapped when he accepted the call and saw his friend’s caller ID. There was a scuffling sound, and then Hideyoshi’s voice came over, his usually calm tone sounding dazed.

“Where are you, Puppy?” he asked, and Inuchiyo huffed.

“Gym,” he answered tersely, and listened to his roommate struggle for words.

“Do you kno- was Angel here when you left?” The brunette sounded like he was intentionally leaving something out with those words, and Inuchiyo ground his teeth. 

“Yes,” he forced out, feeling his nerves beginning to fray. Where was this going?

“Was...uh, was Gen?” The words were innocent enough, but Inuchiyo felt his stomach twist into knots. Why...? From Hideyoshi’s end of the line, muffled giggles and a shout could be heard, then a loud crash and what might have been...a fire alarm? What was going on over there? Then the phone made some strange sounds and a muffled thump like it had been dropped, after which someone calling ‘back to the games!’ could be heard. Inuchiyo began shoving his things into his bag haphazardly, quickly, just as Hideyoshi got back on the line. “I think you should get home, Puppy,” he laughed, and Inuchiyo hung up rather than reply in his rush to get out the door.

Angel just could not figure out why Inuchiyo was making that face. He was frozen in the doorway of Genya’s room, staring in at the pair of them while Hideyoshi shook with silent laughter behind him. Angel frowned; she didn’t understand why he was laughing, either. She and Gen were just hanging out, playing video games. She felt the tickle of Gen’s surprisingly soft and fluffy hair against her inner thighs, and when she glanced down at him where he was seated on the floor with shoulders between her legs which hung off the edge of the bed, he was trying to hold in laughter as well. He was doing a much poorer job than Hideyoshi, however, and his cheeks were rosy from all the alcohol they’d gone through. Her scowl deepened.

“What?” she pouted at them all in a plaintive whine, and that broke Gen and Hideyoshi, who both began howling with laughter. Inuchiyo’s weird expression didn’t change, but he finally spoke.

“What...where are- _why_ are you-“ he spluttered, voice strangled, until he settled on, “are those my underwear?” She glanced down at herself, only just remembering borrowing the pair of pink boxers with the tiny Shiba Inu heads printed on them.

“Oh yeah! I felt less weird borrowing your clothes but your pants were so big they just fell right off, but _these_ are longer than some of the shorts I own so I figured hey why not?” She paused, enthusiasm fading when she noticed his expression hadn’t changed much and if anything, the two hyena impersonators rolling around were laughing even harder. “Is that not okay? I could probably borrow a pair from Gen.” Angel glanced down at him again dubiously. Inuchiyo’s protest was immediate.

“No, I don’t mind, but... _where are your pants_?” Angel beamed up at him, chuckling at the not-so-distant memory.

“Gen accidentally set them on fire.” Inuchiyo looked like he had malfunctioned. His face was growing redder and darker, until Angel began to get concerned he was having breathing problems. “Inuchiyo? Are you okay, you look kind of-“

“ **OUTSIDE,** ” he roared suddenly, and everyone went absolutely still and silent at his outburst. He stomped over to the foot of the bed, grabbing a fistful of Genya’s shirt and ‘helping’ the smaller man to his feet before releasing him with a shove towards the door. “ _Now._ ” Hideyoshi scrambled out of the way as Gen stumbled past, a furious Toshiie pacing at his heels. The brunette shot Angel a nervous look, which got her slow and frightened brain into gear.

“We should probably-“ he began, gesturing after them, but Angel was already tripping over herself as she hurried to give chase. When she reached Hideyoshi in the hallway, the sound of the back door slamming against its hinges boomed through the house, and the pair dashed towards it.

Angel burst into the backyard just in time to see Inuchiyo shove Genya hard in the chest. Gen stumbled back several steps but managed to keep his balance. He quickly regained his footing and squared off in front of Inuchiyo, still looking completely relaxed. 

“Calm down,” he huffed, which just enraged the larger man even further.

“What the _fuck,_ Fujibayashi. You got her drunk and you’re taking advantage of-“ With every word he snarled, he advanced on Gen, until their chests were practically touching. The smaller man rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, cutting off Toshiie’s accusations.

“I would never. We drank, sure, but she’s not even wasted, ya know?” He let his eyes wander to where Angel and Hideyoshi were watching from the porch, wide-eyed, and smirked. “If anything, _you’re_ the one upsettin’ her.” Angel clapped a hand over her mouth to hide her smile, because Inuchiyo looked mad enough already.

“ _I’m_ the one- she said you set her _pants on fire._ Explain that.” Gen gave a cocky grin.

“Purely accident. She wanted to cook something- the flame was small. Besides, I got ‘em off of her so fast it didn’t even-“ Angel and Hideyoshi both winced, already expecting the impending explosion.

“You.” Inuchiyo forced himself even closer, chest to chest with Genya. “Did.” His voice was a deep, threatening growl, right in the smaller man’s face. Angel had the brief, hysterical thought that they were so close it looked like they were about to kiss. “ ** _WHAT?!_** ” Toshiie shoved Gen again, hard, and the silver-haired man went sprawling flat on his back in the dirt. He jumped on Gen once he’d gone down, fist drawn back and clearly ready to unleash his rage onto the still-smug face. “You bastard piece of sh-“

“She hasn’t thought about that shit professor once,” he murmured, too low for the pair nervously hovering on the edge of the porch to hear, his eyes clear and focused. Inuchiyo’s fist shook, still clenched above Gen’s face for a long, tense moment, and then he completely deflated. He let his arm drop and pushed himself off the ground and away from Genya and his stupid, smug, _knowing_ look of triumph. 

“Puppy, you good?” Hideyoshi called from across the yard, and Angel watched with her hands clasped nervously together as Inuchiyo sighed and made his way over.

“Fine,” he spat before turning to Angel and offering her a soft, apologetic look. “Come on. I’ll get you dinner and take you home.”

“Oh! Yes, please...food sounds _so good_ right now,” she groaned enthusiastically, immediately and entirely distracted. She followed him inside at once, leaving behind a stunned Hideyoshi and Gen still laying in the dirt. After a moment, the brunette shook his head and jogged over to Gen, offering him a hand.

“Think he’s ever gonna own up to being in love with her?” Hideyoshi grinned, helping his roommate to his feet. Gen brushed himself off, staring towards the door they’d left through.

“I hope not,” he hummed thoughtfully, and Hideyoshi gave him a curious look. “If he doesn’t make a move soon, I might. She’s a cute little thing.” Hideyoshi laughed, and they headed back inside.

The 24/7 diner Inuchiyo took her to was practically empty. It was now almost eleven at night; after the dinnertime crowds but before the drunks coming in from the bars would be there. They were seated in a quiet, private booth, and Angel was slightly more covered by one of Inuchiyo’s sweaters that he’d given her to tie around her waist. The smells of frying food and fresh coffee very nearly had her drooling, and Inuchiyo pushed a laminated menu towards her with a small smile.

“Get whatever you want.” The words had Angel cooing her appreciation as she studied the restaurant’s offerings, and she stayed focused until the waitress returned for their orders. Once that had been sorted out, Angel found her hazy thoughts focusing on the man across from her with the same sort of intensity. 

Inuchiyo had his muscular forearms resting on the tabletop, broad shoulders angled forward and accentuating gloriously defined biceps. He had his eyes on her, staring back and seeming to be observing her just as closely. That distracted her enough from the expanse of chest his v-neck offered her; she felt self-conscious enough for it to needle her even with her current inebriation.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, absentmindedly shredding the paper napkin into tiny pieces. Inuchiyo’s smile grew more pronounced as he slid a hand across the table to capture hers.

“You’re so...cute,” he mumbled, looking down at her hands underneath his. “I worry about you.” The words made Angel’s chest feel tight. Inuchiyo had always been _home_ for her, a safe and comfortable place unchanging with the passing of time. No matter what each was doing in life, no matter how close or far apart they were, they always knew to their very core that they would always be there for each other. She felt unexpected tears gathering at the corners of her eyes at the wave of nostalgia and longing that rolled through her.

“Sometimes I wish you didn’t have a girlfriend,” she blurted quietly before she could stop herself. She saw his mouth fall open, felt his fingers twitch against her hands, and her heart sank. What had she done? “Excuse me,” she whispered, pulling her hands away and practically running to the girl’s bathroom. She was so stupid. It was just the alcohol making her emotional state fluctuate so much. Poor Inuchiyo, she was putting him through so much when he was trying to be kind and take care of her. He always tried to take care of her...she should be doing the same for him, not burdening him with troublesome and unwanted drunken confessions from someone he probably thought of as a little sister. One day he would probably grow tired of all the work and trouble she brought into his life.

That thought had her taking a deep breath and going to the mirror to fix her running makeup. She didn’t want Inuchiyo to feel the need to choose between her and his _real_ girlfriend, because if she were being truthful, she was afraid he wouldn’t choose her. She knew he wouldn’t. She made up her mind to go back, apologize, and then never, _ever_ talk about it again. One more deep breath, and she left the bathroom.

“Inuchiyo,” she murmured seriously when she slid back into her side of the booth. He looked up at her, lips already parting to deliver whatever gentle letdown he had come up with while she’d been gone, but she didn’t let him. “I’m sorry, I just got super nostalgic for a minute, thinking about how you’re always here for me. I’m just drunk and getting used to the idea of sharing my _best friend._ ” She stressed the last part hard, hoping it would reassure him, but his eyebrows drew together instead. She looked down at the laminated menu as if perusing it again rather than trying to keep him from seeing her emotions in her eyes. “Really, Toshiie. We’re pretending I never said something so dumb.” He was silent, and she desperately wanted to look up to read his expression, but she would not allow herself to, lest she reveal too much with her own. 

“It’s not d-“ Luckily for Angel, their food arrived just in time to end the moment and Inuchiyo’s denial. She didn’t want to hear his platitudes.

“Here you go, dears,” their waitress cooed as she placed the plates before them and then left. Angel immediately forgot every thought in her drunken brain when faced with the greasy, monstrously portioned hamburger and veritable mountain of fries beside it.

“Oh god,” she moaned weakly as soon as the woman left and then tore into her food like she hadn’t eaten in a week. 

“Angel, please, would you just-“ Inuchiyo’s aborted attempt to restart the previous conversation went completely unnoticed by her as she wolfed down her meal, so he sighed and dropped it and started eating his own food. It would probably be better to talk to her when she was sober, anyway. They chatted about light things; mostly Angel chatted at him while he listened and added to her thoughts, and then Inuchiyo led her back out to his car.

The interior was dark and quiet, and Angel quickly found herself dozing off, head resting against the window. That was her last real memory of the evening. The next morning, she wouldn’t remember how Inuchiyo picked her up as if she were just a child and carried her, used her keys to let them in, and took her to bed. She wouldn’t remember him thoughtfully removing her shoes and plugging in her phone for her. 

And she definitely wouldn’t remember the soft, lingering kiss he left on her forehead after he’d tucked her in and turned off the light, even if she’d wanted to.

Hideyoshi and Genya were still lounging in the living room when Inuchiyo finally made it back home. Gen was nursing a bowl and didn’t even look up at his arrival, but Hideyoshi lifted a glass of some fruity pink drink up in acknowledgement.

“Come here, Puppy, you gotta try this. No wonder our little Angel left in your boxers.” He laughed at his own joke, but it made Toshiie’s blood boil again just thinking about the whole situation. Maybe he did need a drink. He went over and dropped down into the seat next to the brunette, accepting the glass from him.

“She’s not yours,” he grumbled, slamming back at least half of the drink rather than the sip offered despite Hideyoshi’s shouted ‘hey!’ of protest. It was like drinking juice; he could easily see Angel consuming too much without intending to. He scowled over at Gen, who had clearly facilitated everything, and was surprised to find the man’s eyes already locked on him.

“Yeah well, she ain’t yours either, now is she?” he drawled lazily, but there was a challenge in his stare. Inuchiyo shoved the glass back into Hideyoshi’s hands and stood up, fists clenched and knuckles white.

“If you ever take advantage of her like that again,” he began threateningly, but Genya just laughed.

“She can drink if she wants to. Who are you to tell her no?” His smirk had Toshiie shaking with rage, but he snapped when Gen added, “How’s your girlfriend, by the way?”

“Alright, that’s it, you lousy-“ Inuchiyo began, preparing to leap across the coffee table at the smarmy idiot, until-

“I’ll drink you for her.” Hideyoshi’s offer froze them all in place.

“What?” Inuchiyo asked, turning slowly around to face the brunette. Hideyoshi was leaned back on the couch, as relaxed and carefree as he could possibly be. 

“Sit, Puppy. We’ll drink for her. Gen’s right, you don’t have a claim over her if you won’t even tell her you like her. Whoever stops drinking first loses, and the winner’s free to tell Angel they’re interested.” Inuchiyo sat, squinting suspiciously at Hideyoshi.

“Oh, so now _you’re_ interested, too?” he said with a hard scowl, but Hideyoshi just shrugged.

“I all but said as much the first day you brought her here,” he reminded Toshiie matter-of-factly, and Gen sat up interestedly, watching their exchange. “If not, I could always give her a call, see what she’s doing tom-“

“Shut up,” Inuchiyo growled, pushing Hideyoshi’s shoulder as the brunette went to pull out his phone. “Fine, you monkey-faced bastard. Set it up.” Gen grinned as the pair of them locked eyes and sized one another up.

“I got it. I’ll be the judge; this is gonna be _great,_ ” he said with a chuckle, getting up to grab a pair of shot glasses. He hesitated over his Belvedere, not wanting to waste it on this, and instead grabbed the huge bottle of cheap whiskey he had stashed in the freezer. Perfect. He was quickly back, pouring a shot for each of them and a few fingers into his own glass. 

“Don’t forget; whoever drinks the most, wins!” Toshiie declared, picking up his glass and readying himself to down the first shot. Hideyoshi mirrored him.

“It’s gonna be such a shame for you to lose her before you ever had her,” he taunted, and then Gen called for them to start before things could turn into a fight.

The pair of them threw back the first five rounds just as fast as Genya could pour them, neither hesitating or slowing. The sixth. There was a pause before the seventh. By that point, Gen was grinning like a Cheshire cat while Toshiie and Hideyoshi taunted each other.

“Silly Puppy. Already had too much, hmm?” Hideyoshi hummed, eyes seeming to find it difficult to pin his rival down. Inuchiyo scoffed loudly, slamming his glass down for another refill and nearly toppling out of his seat when that caused him to lose his balance.

“Hah! Ya wish,” he retorted, swaying in his seat. 

“Yeah, Hideyoshi, he’s got like fifty pounds on you, man. There’s no way you’re coming out on top here,” Gen ribbed Hideyoshi cheerfully as he poured the next round.

“Watch me,” boasted Hideyoshi, who picked up his glass and barely waited for Inuchiyo to do the same before downing the contents. They were returned to the table slower and accompanied by a hiss of breath from Hideyoshi. “See, you can’t even stan’ up straight.” The brunette was tilting his head, squinting with one eye to try to make his vision of Toshiie be still.

“Thass because m’sitting,” Inuchiyo slurred back in a smug tone, rocking back and forth unconsciously. Gen was actually shaking with how hard he was holding in his laughter at that point and didn’t trust himself to say anything, so he began pouring the whiskey again. Both Toshiie and Hideyoshi were looking a bit green at the sight of the bottle, but it was the brunette who, with a groan, put his hand over the shot glass to keep Genya from filling it.

“Ugh,” he groaned heavily, “N-no more, I give.” His shoulders slumped and he let his head drop in defeat. Inuchiyo pumped his fist in the air, leaning dramatically to adjust his position with the motion.

“Yesssshh!” he crowed, “Victory is miii-“ Without warning, Toshiie slumped forward, landing face first and sprawling out onto the coffee table. Hideyoshi and Gen both looked at him for a long moment, and then back at each other.

“Soo,” Gen drawled, and Hideyoshi grinned wickedly. He picked up Genya’s glass, held it up to show the last remaining portion of the drink, and then took the final sip.

“I just technically drank more,” he offered, and Gen winked.

“As official judge, I declare you the winner...though maybe we shouldn’t tell the doggo that.” They both laughed hard at that until Hideyoshi caught his breath and pulled out his phone, already searching for Angel’s contact info. He planned to talk to her before the window of opportunity would inevitably be closed by technicality in the morning. 

“Say Gen,” he hummed as he scrolled through his contacts, “why didn’t you wanna drink for her?” It was obvious Gen was laying down some groundwork with her; that’s what had prompted him to call Toshiie in the first place. Genya chuckled, winking at him before standing and stretching hugely. 

“There was no way in hell I was gonna agree to back off, even if I’d lost,” he informed Hideyoshi as he strolled casually off to his room, the brunette’s laughter chasing after him. Then Hideyoshi began typing out a text to Angel.


	4. Chapter 4

Angel was not the sort of student that slacked off in class. She knew many of her peers did; phones out in class, heads on desks or balanced on arms while asleep, computer screens with social media or videos pulled up. Angel could always be counted on to be paying attention, was the first person to offer to share notes with a student who’d been absent.

That would _not_ be the case today.

Angel had woken up with a terrible hangover and a lot of missed calls and texts. Then she’d noticed the time, realized that she hadn’t set her alarms, and then had to scramble and race out the door to make it to her class on time. 

That, as it turned out, was the extent of her dedication to her studies. Once she had slipped into her seat just a minute or two after her professor had started the lecture, Angel let her bag slip to the ground and put her head on the desktop. She hadn’t even brushed her hair. She had changed out of Inuchiyo’s boxers, at least, while cringing at the hazy memories that floated back to her in pieces. She’d stolen his boxers...after Gen had set her pants on fire...while attempting to juggle with a bottle of oil...next to the the lit stovetop while they were cooking. That reminded her of the messages she’d missed and then forgotten about in her desperate attempt to get to class. She pulled out her phone, and with every message she read, her eyes grew wider and her headache increased.

The first ones were from Inuchiyo, as they’d been sent that morning and were right at the top;

Inuchiyo-boo: Angel, I’d really like to talk to you. You said some things last night and, well...I’ll always be here for you. I want to be the one that protects you and looks out for you.  
Inuchiyo-boo: let me know when you get this so I know you’re alright after last night, okay?

Those sent a whirlwind of emotions through Angel; pain, longing, remorse, gratitude, irritation, until she settled on anger. Toshiie had a girlfriend. A girlfriend she’d never even been introduced to. The guys all said he was constantly talking about this girl, yet he never did when she was around. Did...did his girlfriend even _know_ about Inuchiyo’s female best friend? Indignant outrage on behalf of this unknown woman flared in her heart, and she skipped down to Hideyoshi’s messages rather than lash out at Inuchiyo without thinking about her words.

Monkey-face: Angel. Beautiful Angel, puppy will stop me 2mro but he cant handlee hie booze so I win  
Monkey-face: I kno he loves you, and hes mu best friend an all, but like  
Monkey-face: youre awesme and I really like you. I want you to know how I feel.  
Monkey-face: u don’t haveta say anything back an your probly asleep but...yeah

That was another whole situation she had no idea how to handle. Hideyoshi was sweet, and funny, but...he _was_ his friend. And _roommate._ That felt like it would be a huge violation in the friendship she had with Toshiie, to say nothing of how their friendship would weather that. Did she even like him enough like _that_ to want to risk everything to give it a shot? She skimmed to Genya’s, and felt her eye twitch when she noticed that at some point he’d stolen her phone and changed his contact.

Video Game Ninja: hey gorgeous, sorry I got you in trouble with the overgrown guard dog. Hope ya feel better tomorrow. I had a good time with you.  
Video Game Ninja: hey don’t forget, you owe me a rematch on rainbow road. You cheated ;P

Despite her overwhelming irritation and the pounding in her head, she couldn’t keep her lips from twitching into a tiny smile. At least Gen hadn’t changed at all. She quickly sent him back, ‘thanks, but you still owe me new pants,’ and then let her head drop back down onto the desk without replying to the other two. They could wait- she had no idea what to say to them anyways.

Luck was not on her side, it would seem. It wasn’t long after she sent her message to Gen that her phone went off. Then again, and again. Inuchiyo must have found out she’d replied to Gen; _roommates,_ she thought with a sigh.

Inuchiyo-boo: why did you text Gen but not me?  
Inuchiyo-boo: if you don’t want to talk about that, fine, but please let me know you’re okay.  
Inuchiyo-boo: please?

She wanted to ignore him, but she was now simply too mad to. He had no right acting like an overprotective boyfriend when he was _with someone else._ She could text Genya. She could ignore all of them if she wanted. The idea of his poor girlfriend not even _knowing_ about her dug into her heart, made it hard for her to think of anything else. That’s it; they were dealing with this _now,_ if for no other reason than to get her some peace to nurse her aching head.

You: how could you, Inuchiyo. I’ve always thought so much better of you.  
Inuchiyo-boo: wait, what?? Angel, what’s wrong?

He was either playing dumb or seriously didn’t see anything wrong with what he was doing, and that made her even _madder._

You: does your girlfriend know about me?

Angel waited, watched those three little dots on the corner of her screen, but they kept disappearing and reappearing and she suddenly realized she didn’t want to read his sorry excuse. She didn’t want him to have time to formulate the best response to give her. She wanted to catch him off-guard and see if that would get her more honest answers. Without even looking at the professor, Angel scooped up her bag and got up, squeezing herself past the other students in her row before stomping out into the hallway. Her phone was already dialing before the weighted door had fully swung closed behind her.

“Hello? Angel?” Inuchiyo sounded worried; good, she decided, he should be.

“Does your girlfriend know about me, Toshiie Maeda?” she repeated again, with no patience for his games. She could hear his discomfort in the way he stammered to come up with words.

“Well, you see- it’s not really... why would that even...” Angel let Inuchiyo flounder for a moment before she stopped him. 

“I’ll take that as a ‘no,’ then,” she fumed, and when Inuchiyo continued to splutter rather than deny it, she exploded. “I thought you were better than that, Inuchiyo. How can you put me in this position? Or her? How can you say you want to be here for me when you’re _supposed_ to be there for someone else? Hiding me from her, or her from me, just shows me that you’re planning on one of us not being around enough for it to matter.” Angel paused to take a deep breath, and an idea came to her. It seemed perfect in that moment. It would catch him completely off-guard and he’d have no way to try to weasel out of it. “I want to meet her. If you want us to keep being friends like we are, I _demand_ you introduce me to her. I want to be in your life, but I refuse to be used to destroy hers.” A long, long silence met her words. It was so long, she started to worry he was about to tell her it wasn’t worth their friendship. So long, in fact...

“Are you still there?” Toshiie’s voice was quiet, rough, and her heart went out to him in an instinctive need to make him feel better; she stamped down on those feelings and clenched her jaw.

“I am. If you want us to stay like we are, set something up and text me the details. Otherwise, I’ll take that as your answer.” _Then_ she hung up on him. She leaned against the wall next to the closed door, feeling her heart race. And her head pound. Stupid tears, which _must_ just be due to her anger and nothing further, gathered at the corners of her eyes and threatened to spill over. She could faintly hear the drone of her professor continuing his lecture just on the other side of the door, and...

She just couldn’t do it. She shouldered her bag and slowly began to walk towards the cafe on campus, planning on getting a coffee and skipping class with no real reason for the first time in her life. She’d sit and think and find some Tylenol and just hang out on campus until her last class rather than going to their house between them like she normally would. It would be difficult to change her routine and it would make her sad and lonely to avoid Inuchiyo, but if it helped him make the right decision, then so be it.

Inuchiyo felt hollow and absolutely _sick_ as he listened to the dial tone Angel had left him with. She had hung up on him. She had hung up on him after demanding to meet his...‘girlfriend’. Slowly, he became aware of the annoying and _infuriating_ sound of Genya and Hideyoshi, who were both sitting on the couch opposite him, laughing their heads off. He let the hand holding his phone drop as he shot them both a furious glare, which just got them laughing harder.

“Did...did your confession not go well, Puppy?” Hideyoshi choked out, and Gen howled, rocking back and forth.

“His _face_!” he wheezed, “Priceless. What did she _say_?” Inuchiyo wanted to strangle him. Then he huffed; he needed help out of this. As big of shitheads as those two were, they were still probably his best bet on figuring out how to get out of this situation. They probably wouldn’t like Angel not hanging out anymore, either, though the idea irked him deeply.

“She is insisting on meeting my ‘girlfriend,’” he grumbled, and then rolled his eyes as the pair predictably lost their composure again. When they had gotten at least a little bit of it out of their system, he continued in a growl. “Don’t sound too pleased, she said she’s not coming back til she does.” That cut their humor short.

“Wait, what?!” Hideyoshi was immediately leaning forward with his full attention on Inuchiyo, who nodded dejectedly.

“Yeah, so help me come up with something, you bastards. This is _your_ fault anyway,” he groused, but the rebuff came from neither Gen or Hideyoshi.

“It seems to be your _own_ fault, actually,” Mitsunari snarked, leaning against the doorway as if he’d been passing through but had stopped to observe the commotion. “That woman may not be the most interesting, but I’m honestly surprised she’s been able stand you for as long as she has.” Inuchiyo bristled, temper flaring again, but Hideyoshi perked up at his voice and spun around with a broad smile.

“Oh! Hey Mitsu, you aren’t in the doghouse with the rest of us, would you go check in on her for me?” He gave a cheeky wink, ignoring Gen’s ‘speak for yourself!’ and Inuchiyo’s teeth grinding together. “If you went, she might tell you something we could use.” Mitsunari smiled eagerly; he’d seemed to have started looking at Hideyoshi as some sort of role model, and his quick acceptance of a task he normally would have dismissed harshly as stupid rubbed Inuchiyo the wrong way.

“Of course, Hideyoshi! If it would help,” Mitsunari was saying, and Inuchiyo threw up his hands.

“You’ll help _him_ chasing after my girl?” he questioned in disbelief, and Mitsu turned back to glare down his nose at Toshiie.

“You never bothered to ask. Don’t blame Hideyoshi for how dense you are or your lack of manners, mongrel.” Mitsu made to head out, leaving Toshiie sitting in open-mouthed fury, only asking for Hideyoshi to send him Angel’s number before closing the front door behind him. What a fucking piece of- Gen interrupted Inuchiyo’s irate train of thought when he leaned back with a sharp bark of laughter.

“Hah! Hideyoshi, you must know something I don’t if you think _he’s_ gonna get her to talk before one of us does,” Genya smirked, and Hideyoshi gave him a knowing look.

“You’d be surprised; Mitsu knows a lot more women than I’d have guessed when I first met him. He must know how to talk to them, right? He’s constantly chatting with them.”

Angel was finally starting to feel better. She’d been camped out at the campus cafe, she’d talked the sweet girl behind the counter into giving her some Tylenol from their first aid kit, and she’d been reading a book. At least, she’d had been, until an unknown number had texted her and caused her to lose focus completely.

Unknown Sender: Good afternoon, Angel. This is Mitsunari Ishida. Would you have a moment?

Angel took a second to save his number, considering. She’d just told Inuchiyo a few hours ago that she wouldn’t be around until she’d met his girlfriend, but...there was no _way_ Mitsunari would be contacting her on behalf of Toshiie. In fact, there was a good chance he didn’t even know about all the drama from the previous night and that morning. And she felt bad about avoiding her closest friends...even if they _did_ deserve it.

You: sure, I’ve got time to kill before my class later. I’m at the campus cafe if you want to talk in person.  
Mitsu: thank you. I’ll be there shortly.

That was...unusual. Of all of them, Mitsunari was always the least interested in conversing with her. He seemed to generally tolerate her near-constant presence in his house for the sake of Hideyoshi’s friendship with her and Inuchiyo, but he was typically apathetic at best. At least he was more polite with her than he was with Toshiie or Gen, both of whom he seemed constantly affronted by. She shrugged to herself and waited.

He must have already been near campus, because in less time than she’d been expecting, Mitsunari was sliding into the seat across the table from her.

“Hello, Angel,” he sighed as he looked up at her. 

“Hey Mitsu, what’s up?” she asked cautiously; she very seriously doubted he’d just decided to spend time with her spontaneously. He smirked, wasting no time in confirming her suspicions.

“How are you? Hideyoshi seems to be worried about you.” Angel’s eyes narrowed.

“Did he tell you to come here?” she asked through gritted teeth. 

“Not exactly,” he dismissed, “though I did overhear the three of them all acting like hooligans over everything this morning. There’s never a moment’s peace thanks to you.” Mitsunari narrowed his eyes and gave her a very pointed accusatory look before he continued, “but I did have an offer to make.”

“I’m listening,” Angel said, so used to his constant needling comments that she knew she could brush it off.

“I have no interest in getting involved in this mess, nor do I wish to pretend to be interested for long enough to listen to you tell me your side. But...I have a sister. She’s good at that sort of thing.” Angel stared at him as if he’d grown another head. What on earth was he talking about? He frowned at her expression. “You’re not pretty enough to be this stupid,” he muttered under his breath before continuing louder, “I’m _trying_ to help. I know you’re friends with them all and you plan to distance yourself from them. I thought, if you had no one you’d prefer to talk to about your woes with, you might be interested in talking to my sister.” Wait...what? There was so much to process there. He had a sister? He was offering to...what? Let Angel vent all her issues to this girl? Why the hell would- she stopped, and a slow smile spread across her face. She leaned forward, putting her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand.

“Mitsu...are you trying to be _nice_ to me?” she asked, batting her eyelashes and trying to hold back her giggles as his cheeks flushed pink.

“W-what?! No, you vile succubus, I’m just-“ Mitsu ground his teeth together and stood up from the table. “I refuse to enter into a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.” He turned to leave, but Angel called him back between chuckles.

“Mitsu, don’t go. Will you send me her info?” Mitsunari paused, looking back at her rather than returning to his seat.

“Just look her up. Her name’s Saki, even someone as dull as you will be able to figure out how to contact her. She’s a popular online presence.” Then he left Angel in the cafe, gone as quickly as he’d come. 

She was quick to pick up her phone and search the name before she forgot it, and Mitsunari had been right; it took less than a minute for her to find contact info for Saki. She was apparently a very well-known and watched game streamer, and publicly advertised her Discord handle on her channel so she could talk to her viewers. She seemed kind, and the people who left comments seemed to all adore her. It didn’t take long for Angel to convince herself to reach out. Mitsu had offered. It was probably fine.

She sent a message to Saki#0427.

When Mitsunari entered their house, he was unsurprised to find his three roommates still lazing about in the living room and still talking about what to do about their juvenile drama. He shook his head; this was so _beneath_ Hideyoshi. That girl should be leaping at the chance to catch his interest, he shouldn’t be chasing after her or competing with those other two miserable oafs. However, the situation had made the opportunity for Mitsunari to prove to be useful to Hideyoshi, and for that he was happy. He was eager to reveal what he’d done so that he could see the look on Hideyoshi’s face.

“That’s moronic. Maybe the worst idea yet,” Toshiie was barking like the canine he was, and Hideyoshi was frowning, insulted.

“Hate to side with him, Hide, but that one _was_ pretty bad,” Gen agreed lazily, reclining on their sofa as he usually was.

“Then why don’t _you_ come up something instead of just laying there acting smug?” Hideyoshi jabbed back, making Gen smirk widely.

“She texted _me_ back in the first place. I’m not in trouble here.” Genya was chuckling victoriously, and Mitsunari took the seat on the other side of Hideyoshi, ready to crush the imbecile’s cocky attitude. 

“Hey Gen, I’ve got an idea,” Toshiie snapped, eyes blazing, “why don’t you go f-“

“I want to show you something, Hideyoshi. I think you’ll find this worthwhile,” Mitsunari began as if Toshiie wasn’t speaking at all, and the mongrel quickly fell silent to listen in. He held up his phone with his Discord DM to Angel#6282, offering it to a curious Hideyoshi. “That’s Angel. She thinks she’s talking with my sister.” He paused, letting his words sink in and savoring Hideyoshi’s stunned and then excited expression. “Shall I talk you up to her?” There was a beat of silence, and then all three began clamoring to speak at once.

“Oh my god, Mitsu! This is amazing-“

“You can’t do that! That’s an invasion of-“

“Ey Mitsu, you play dirty, dontcha-“

Mitsunari allowed the smug sense of satisfaction to fill him. Hideyoshi would see that he was truly worthy of their friendship. That he was an invaluable resource. Maybe he’d even lose that worthless so-called best friend.

“I’ll let you know if she says anything worthwhile,” he said, pulling his phone back and tucking it into his pocket with a nod to Hideyoshi. The brunette was beaming, but he could feel Toshiie’s glare burning into him.

“You can’t deceive her like that!” he raged, and Mitsu put on a bored expression. 

“I _can_ , obviously,” he said with a wave at the pocket containing his phone, and that only goaded the other man further.

“I meant you _shouldn’t.”_ Toshiie was nearly shaking with rage. “I’ll tell her.” Mitsunari scoffed, walking towards the hallway and his room.

“Somewhere out there, there’s a tree whose single purpose on earth is to replace the oxygen you waste. Go find it and apologize.” He paused before leaving the room and smirked back at them. “You won’t tell her because you don’t want her to find out about this whole ‘lying about a girlfriend’ thing.” Toshiie looked away, frowning but finally keeping that yapping mouth shut. Gen was giving him a considering look, but Mitsu just ignored the lazy good-for-nothing; it was unlikely he would put forth enough effort to be difficult. Hideyoshi jumped in, still all smiles.

“Yeah, Puppy, we still gotta figure out what you’re gonna do about that part.” Another smile found its way onto Mitsunari‘s lips.

“I may be able to solve that problem for you, as well, Hideyoshi,” he called before making his exit. Yes, he was going to prove himself invaluable, indeed.

Angel whiled away the hours until her later class casually chatting with Saki, who’d replied surprisingly quickly and Angel suspected Mitsu had given her a heads up, and reading her book. About an hour before class, she decided to risk heading there early to find Saku; she still needed to thank him for rescuing her. So she headed towards her Art History lecture hall. She was surprised to find Sakuya sitting on the steps leading to the front door rather than inside in the seating area like usual.

“Hey Saku!” she called as she approached, and his head snapped up at the sound of her voice.

“Angel,” he greeted her and got to his feet as she drew closer, “would you wanna go hang out somewhere else before class today?” She smiled softly, realizing he was trying to keep her out of Juami’s grimy clutches without her having to hide in a bathroom.

“Sure!” she agreed quickly, and followed him when he began leading her away from the building entirely. As they walked, they discussed a midterm paper they would be assigned during class and they had stopped before Angel realized. When she took in their surroundings, she gasped in delighted surprise.

Sakuya had brought her to a place she’d never even imagined the existence of. It was in a below-ground level courtyard attached to a building she’d never needed to visit, and it was absolutely gorgeous. A small pond half-covered by a tree, with all sorts of plants and flowers and lilly pads in and around it. Angel could see beautiful, bright fish swimming beneath the surface and some turtles on a rock, and there were even bronze figures of other animals in the immediate area. It was like the page of a fairy-tale tucked away in a textbook; it did not belong in the slightest but was a wonder to find there.

“Oh, Saku!” she exhaled quietly, as if loud words could break the peace of the place. “How did you find this?” He walked over to sit on the stone ledge surrounding the pond, looking around fondly.

“I have a professor with an office in this building,” he answered, and Angel came to sit down next to him.

“It’s incredible,” she hummed happily, taking in all the little details of the space. When she turned back to Saku, she found him already staring at her. “I meant to thank you for helping me get away last class,” she blurted, a little intimidated by the intensity of his gaze.

“It was nothing,” he answered, expression softening. He looked down into the water. “I hope you’ll continue to rely on me if you ever need to in the future.” The gesture was so sweet, Angel immediately felt bashful. She thought about how after class, she would usually head to Inuchiyo’s, and then had another idea for a way for Saku to save her.

“Actually, I’ve got a completely open evening and a roommate that scares me. Any chance you wanna rescue me again and help me bake you some ‘thank you’ cookies? Or whatever else you’d prefer.” Sakuya looked extremely surprised for a brief second, and then gave her a brilliant flash of a grin.

“Sure. No problem,” he accepted, and Angel was extremely pleased to have come up with a way to keep from moping around all evening. They stayed and enjoyed the pond until they’d be cutting it close to even make it to class on time, and then they rushed back, congratulating themselves like co-conspirators. Juami stared as they entered together at the last possible second, but began class without saying anything. When they were dismissed, Saku had her bag on his shoulder and was guiding her out of the room before she’d even realized it.

“So where to?” Saku asked, giving her a lighthearted smile, and it looked so unexpectedly familiar that she forgot to answer his question for a few seconds.

“Uh...it’s this way,” she finally managed, heading away from the main part of the campus and to her block of student housing. Angel was a little nervous Yuki would be there, but was relieved to find her apartment empty and quiet. She led Sakuya back towards her room, internally cringing at the state Yuki had left their living room in.

“Sorry,” she apologized awkwardly, “we can just put our stuff in my room...” Angel unlocked her door and pushed it open for Saku, who entered hesitantly. Her room was generally tidy, but fairly bare; since she avoided spending time there as much as possible, it looked like she’d just moved in. Some of her things were still in boxes, shoved under her desk and in a corner of the closet. She watched Sakuya’s eyes flit from here to there as she hurriedly took her bag and dumped it on her desk, gesturing for him to leave his own bag there. Then Angel all but dragged him out of her room and to their kitchenette.

In no time at all, the two of them were laughing and talking over a counter full of ingredients. Saku had expressed his surprise when he learned she meant baking cookies from scratch rather that putting frozen store-bought ones onto a tray. He was an extremely efficient aide despite his claims that he was no good in the kitchen; he was already at her elbow with whatever ingredient was called for next before she was able to ask for it.

“You sure you’ve never cooked before?” she questioned with a giggle when she caught him leveling a scoop at one point. He chuckled lowly, handing it over to her.

“I never did, but I helped my brother when he would,” Saku admitted, and Angel could picture it immediately. Saku as a tiny but serious child helping out a much-older sibling who let him do the smaller, safer jobs. Sort of how she used to let her own younger brother ‘help’ her in their home growing up.

“That’s sweet,” she cooed, and laughed when his cheeks dusted pink. The cookies were on a tray and ready for baking far too soon. Once they were in the oven and Angel had taken the time to tidy up the kitchen, she was left with the choice of cleaning up the living room while Saku waited, or entertaining him in her bedroom. Her TV was in there, but...the only place for them to sit was on the bed. She hesitated for a second, but Sakuya was just standing there staring at her expectantly and-

“Sorry, this is a little awkward, but uh...I spend most of my time at my friend’s place, so when I’m here, I usually just...” Angel gestured vaguely towards her room, and Saku’s eyes lit with understanding.

“I- I don’t mind spending time in your room, if that’s what you’re asking,” he told her kindly, and relief filled her.

“Great, thank you,” she responded, completely comfortable with him once again. They headed back and Angel got her TV turned on while he took a seat obediently at the foot of her bed. “Anything in particular you want to watch?”

The two of them hung out and chatted casually over some baking competition show until the cookies were done, and then for a while after that while they cooled and a number of them were eaten. At long last, Saku stood up and stretched. He left, thanking her for a nice night together and with the rest of the cookies in a neat little bag Angel had thrust upon him.

“Have a good night, Angel,” he’d murmured lowly just before leaving in a way that made Angel’s heart thump unevenly. When she got back into her room, she checked her phone again, which she’d been ignoring throughout the evening. There were missed messages, but none of them was a meeting arrangement from Inuchiyo, and she went to bed with a heavy heart and a bunch of confusing feelings she tried to pretend she didn’t have.


	5. Chapter 5

“Do you _really_ think this is gonna work?” Inuchiyo muttered to Hideyoshi as they sat at the bar of the place Mitsu had told them to go. Hideyoshi shrugged, taking a drink from his pint before setting it back on the thick wood behind them.

“With how he came through with the whole ‘sister’ plan, I’m not gonna doubt him,” the brunette answered with a grin. Toshiie groaned. There was no way this was gonna turn out well. His friends were all idiots. They should just leave-

“Um...excuse me.” Inuchiyo’s train of thought was interrupted by a soft voice, and the two of them spun around to see a cute young woman, looking at them hesitantly. “Might you be Saki’s friends?” Hideyoshi beamed charmingly, offering her a hand.

“Sayuri?” he returned, and she quickly nodded.

“That’s me!” she answered brightly. “Saki said you guys might need my help...?” She trailed off leadingly, and Inuchiyo jumped in.

“I’m Toshiie, and this is Hideyoshi. Want to let me buy you a drink and then we can grab a table and talk?” She nodded, then ordered from the bartender before letting Hideyoshi lead her back to a table. When Inuchiyo joined them, handing over her glass, she got down to business.

“So I’m in the school of preforming arts, Saki said whatever thing you guys needed would take someone with considerable acting talent.” Inuchiyo ground his teeth together.

“We just need someone to pretend to be my girlfriend once or twice,” he muttered, and Sayuri’s eyes widened and she blushed delicately before laughing.

“What did you do to piss off Saki?” she chuckled mostly to herself, then smiled up at Inuchiyo. “That wouldn’t be too bad. What for, a family event or something?” Toshiie felt his face heating up, only getting worse when Hideyoshi spoke.

“Ah, if only it were that simple, sweetheart,” he winked at her, and she giggled. Inuchiyo polished off his beer with a long, deep series of swallows, then set his glass down with a huff.

“It’s a long story. My best friend sort of got the _mistaken impression,_ ” he paused to glare daggers at Hideyoshi, “that I have a girlfriend and is demanding to meet her.” Sayuri tilted her head, a playful smirk making its way onto her lips.

“Let me guess...this ‘friend’ is female?” she asked, seeming to understand what was going on without needing further explanation, which Inuchiyo was grateful for. Hideyoshi nodded at her, confirming, and she picked up her glass to toy with it. “When do you want to do this?”

“Whenever you’re able to,” Inuchiyo was quick to answer, and Hideyoshi made a face.

“She won’t hang out with us til she meets you,” the brunette stage-whispered, and Toshiie scowled while Sayuri laughed.

“What about tonight?” she offered, and Inuchiyo smiled widely, pulling out his phone to text Angel.

“I’ll ask her right now.”

‘What are you doing tonight?’ _should_ have been a simple question. What was she planning on doing after class? Moping around her relatively unfamiliar apartment, trying to be quiet enough that her roommate would think she wasn’t home. But there was no simple answer to the text she was staring at, despite how much she’d _prefer_ to accept the implied offer.

You: sorry, Gen, I can’t  
You: I know you know I said I wouldn’t hang out over there until Toshiie straightens up  
Video Game Ninja: I thought you said you wouldn’t hang out with THEM. This is just me  
Video Game Ninja: come on, we’ll be sneaky

Angel sighed, shaking her head. She _shouldn’t_...but she _did_ miss those guys. Last time she hung out with Gen had been fun, too.

You: how would we get away with it?  
Video Game Ninja: no one’s here from 1-4:30. Leave class early  
Video Game Ninja: pleeease?

Angel chuckled to herself, imagining him begging. She supposed...she would be able to attend most of the lecture. None of them would have to find out that she’d spent time over there.

You: I’ll text you when I’m on the way.

Not ten minutes later, though, just as she was getting back into her note-taking, her phone went off again. 

Inuchiyo-boo: have plans this evening? Was thinking we could all go get drinks...with my girlfriend  
Inuchiyo-boo: maybe like 7?  
You: yeah, I can make that work. Where at?

She looked over the place, noting it was one of the bars right down the street from their house, and sent a quick confirmation to him. She could hang out with Gen and just head there right after. No problem. Then maybe they could _all_ hang out, because she definitely didn’t want to nurse the sting of finally meeting this girl who’d stolen her best friend’s heart all alone. 

Her professor dismissed them and Angel got herself a late lunch after, reading and taking advantage of the seating to occupy her time until her last class. Sociology had never dragged like it seemed to that day, though Angel at least was honest enough to acknowledge her anticipation as the primary reason. She was already more than excited to spend some time joking around over video games with Gen. At 4:15, Angel got up quietly from the seat she’d taken at the end of the very back row and snuck out of the end of her class.

There was a light, cool breeze as Angel made her way over to their house and, as promised, there was not a car to be seen in the driveway. There was, however, a figure lying prone on the ground beneath the tree in their front yard. Angel crept up on him, grinning.

“Whatcha doing?” she asked casually, leaning over Gen and looking at his resting face upside-down. A single eye cracked open lazily, and a smirk crept across his lips.

“Napping and hoping to catch the attention of any pretty girls that walked by. Looks like it worked,” he hummed, startling a laugh out of her. She helped him to his feet and then let him lead her inside, more comfortable than she’d been since leaving last time. When he led her to the kitchen, joking with her about a job he’d just started, and made them both a drink, Angel took it without a thought. Then he took her back to his room.

He reminded her they were being sneaky, then turned on his stereo with music loud enough to obscure conversation and locked his door. After that, he booted up the game they were playing last time and tossed her a controller.

“Alright, gorgeous, no cheating this time.” Angel took a deep drink, confident she wouldn’t get the opportunity again until they’d finished the first race, and then scoffed.

“I didn’t cheat, you just don’t know how to drive,” she teased, and he playfully growled at her.

“That’s it, I don’t care how cute you are, no one questions my skills,” Gen joked back as their game got underway. They spent the next few hours teasing, goading, and whispering between themselves, with Genya sneaking out occasionally to refill their glasses. Returning from his latest ‘covert mission,’ Genya flopped down onto his bed next to where Angel was sitting rather than taking his previous spot on the floor. He took a drink and then set his cup aside on the bedside table before rolling onto his back, hands behind his head.

“This was nice,” he murmured lightly, seeming to have no real significance to his words, “Thanks for sneaking in to see me.” Angel took a gulp of her own just to get her thoughts in order, as she was already more than pleasantly buzzed. 

“It was fun. I miss you guys,” she hummed back, pouting at the end. Gen’s lips twitched, and he looked up at her, eyes sparkling with mischievous intent.

“C’mere,” he ordered lazily, rolling onto his side to face her and resting his head on his hand as if he were too apathetic to rise to her level. Angel obliged with a small chuckle, stretching out on her side opposite him, only a few feet apart. He let his other hand fall forward casually into the space between them, not close to touching her but drawing her eyes to the movement. She followed his arm with her gaze, noting musculature she hadn’t fully appreciated before since he wasn’t as obviously cut as someone like Inuchiyo. His shoulders showed it off the most, holding her attention as she oogled the curves and planes created there. The way his neck was arched gracefully from the angle, the way his jaw was sharp and defined, how his deep crimson eyes looked, staring right back at her as if he were drinking her in, too.

“What?” she asked, voice coming out thicker than she’d intended. She swallowed hard, eyes for some reason glued to pale pink lips quirked into a growing smirk.

“I wanna kiss you,” he purred, voice pleading although he kept his outwardly relaxed demeanor perfectly in place. Angel’s mind went blank and her eyes were wide.

“W-we can’t- Gen, I-“ Angel stammered, but found herself unable to wholly refuse. She couldn’t move, didn’t _want_ to move, despite the numerous reasons this would be a terrible idea. Instead she stared into his softening expression with utter indecision. Genya, on his part, dismissed her barely-expressed concerns.

“We can do whatever you want to do, Angel. No one’s choice but your own.” His hand inched forward slowly, so slowly, until the very tips of his fingers just barely brushed against the thin skin at her wrist. The barest, most delicate touches of skin on skin, and it sent a shiver racing down her spine. He was gorgeous, he was appealing, he was fun...Inuchiyo’s scowling face flashed in her mind’s eye. He’d be so mad. _He has a girlfriend,_ a bitter voice in her head reminded her, and she flinched. Gen’s fingertips grazed her wrist again, pulling her attention back to him.

“I know all about your drama with Maeda, I know Hide’s got his eye on you...seems everyone does,” he chuckled self-depreciatingly, nodding towards where his fingertips connected to her arm, “but...I don’t have to be a complicated, messy thing, ya know? I...” Gen paused, drawing in a slow breath before his eyes darted up to meet hers, smoldering into her like embers. “I just wanna kiss you, Angel. Just once. I’ll be whatever you want me to be after that.”

Angel had a thousand thoughts racing through her head and couldn’t focus on a single one. Inuchiyo, Hideyoshi, Genya, they could fight, they could stop being friends, she could lose everyone at once, she was nervous, she was intimidated, Gen was so handsome, Gen’s hair looked so soft and fluffy, his lips were parting slightly, what had she been thinking? She felt herself shift.

Their lips connected with the barest hint of pressure, gentle and unassuming and sweet. It happened before she knew it, and then that perfectly gentlemanly display was gone just as quickly; the way his lips began moving with hers after that could no longer be described by any of those words. The hand that had been between them skimmed up her arm and to the back of her neck, fingers getting lost in long, dark hair as he drew her closer. 

His tongue traced her lips until she parted them with a breath like a gasp, and he took advantage of her acceptance. His other hand came up to cradle her cheek as he swept his tongue into her mouth, tasting and teasing her while slowly relaxing backward. She barely even realized they’d moved until he was on his back and had her laying halfway on his chest, fingers splayed across firm torso to keep herself above him. It was a false display of her dominance, for there was no question as to who was really in control of their kiss.

“A-ah, Gen,” she gasped, pulling away to catch a breath, but his lips chased after her, and when he spoke they rubbed against hers deliciously.

“No, doesn’t count, I’m not done yet,” he breathed before he was devouring her again with his desperate kiss, arms holding her securely to him as his lips molded to fit hers once more. And Angel gladly, gratefully, accepted everything he gave. 

Gen was a fire, burning through her self-control and sense of responsibility and every last shred of rational thought she had. He was the sun at dawn when it first peeked over the horizon and blinded you with its brilliance. The only thing she knew right then was that she wanted _more,_ more of this, more of him...there were no consequences, there were no rules, there was only the way his muscles rippled underneath her hands and the way he possessed her so completely with one _very_ thorough kiss. She...she wanted...

Her hands drifted, slowly and then with more confidence, to the hem of his shirt, seeking the warm skin underneath. She let them wander, dancing over a surprisingly hard abdomen and bunching up the fabric as she went. Gen let out a low, eager moan, hands going to her hips and lifting just enough to move her to straddling him, and their lips connected again, rough and frantic and-

Angel’s phone rang, blaring out the sound of an incoming call rather than the quiet ping of a message. They both jumped, and then Angel rolled off of Gen hurriedly to grab her phone. Oh god. She had just made out with-

“Angel? Where are you?” Inuchiyo’s voice carried through the speaker loudly; he was shouting over what was clearly the sound of a busy bar. Genya let himself collapse backwards down onto the bed, and Angel turned away, feeling her face burn. She. Had just. Made out with Genya. Her very-protective best friend’s roommate. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” she finally yelped, probably louder than was really necessary. “Just fine. On my way. Be right there.” She hung up, forcing herself to turn back to the man on the bed. Shame, anxiety, confusion, and _longing_ twisted inside her, and she didn’t know what to say, but then her gaze finally fell on Gen.

He was laying there, on his back with hands behind his head and eyes closed. A small, serene smile was on his lips, and his breathing was even.

“You gotta go, yeah?” he asked, cracking one eye open just as he had before, and Angel felt a smile tugging the corners of her lips. “Don’t worry, gorgeous. This is just whatever you want it to be, okay? No stress.” He let his eye slip closed again, and Angel had to fight back a growing lump in her throat. What he was saying was considerate, well-intentioned, reasonable...so why did it make her feel so guilty? But Gen wasn’t looking at her, he wasn’t pressuring her...quite the opposite; he looked like he’d fallen asleep, though she doubted that were true.

“Thanks,” she whispered, backing out of the room and slipping out of the house as quickly and quietly as she could manage. She was in such a hurry, she didn’t even notice how Mitsunari’s door, which had been closed when she got there, was wide open.

The bar was crowded with students getting out of classes, but Hideyoshi had managed to get them a little booth in the corner. Sayuri was having fun; Hideyoshi was silly and Toshiie was charming in a gruff sort of way and my, were they good-looking. It was easy to picture herself there on a casual night out with her boyfriend and their friend. It was easy to forget she was playing a part. Toshiie kept looking over at the doors, though, and every time he did, it reminded her of her place. Ten minutes past the agreed-upon time, he got up to make a phone call.

“So what is it with this girl?” she asked, leaning forward towards Hideyoshi. “Why’s Toshiie so hung up on her?” He leaned in as well, eyes warm and smile gentle. 

“There’s just something about that girl, I couldn’t put a name to it but I’d steal her from him in a heartbeat if she’d have me. I may get my chance, look at the Puppy’s face.” Hideyoshi nodded over her shoulder and Sayuri turned to see Toshiie frowning and covering his free ear to try to block out the noise of the bar. It made her sad, seeing the sweet guy she’d been hanging out with looking so upset. This girl must be incredibly cruel, or completely blind. She wasn’t sure how well this plan was going to work out for them, but whatever. It wasn’t like these were actually her friends.

Toshiie returned to the table a second later, saying she was on her way and it was unlike her to be running late. Sayuri sighed softly, downing the last of the first round of drinks they’d ordered. The three of them talked about classes they were in or had taken previously and were right in the middle of a particularly hilarious story Hideyoshi was telling about a professor they’d all taken when a girl slid into the space next to the brunette with such familiarity that it was as if she’d been there all along and only left her seat for a moment. Hideyoshi was still talking, and Inuchiyo just nodded in greeting, so Sayuri took the chance to look her over while the story she no longer listened to continued.

Angel was petite, and pale, with long dark hair that waved past her shoulders in a thick curtain. She was looking down at her hands fidgeting nervously in front of her on the table. Sayuri felt a bit of pity for her and the deception the men were pulling on her, but Toshiie’s now rigid posture at her side eased it quickly. And as her curiosity turned to scrutiny, Sayuri noticed a few things.

This girl was perfectly porcelain, yet her cheeks were so flushed she looked like she had a sunburn. She couldn’t be _that_ embarrassed about running a bit late...no, either she had an actual sunburn or she’d already had quite a few drinks before heading over to meet them. Her hair was seriously mussed, too; had this girl been on a boat all day? Her lips were plush, and she kept chewing on the lower one like she was deep in thought rather than listening to Hideyoshi’s story, too. Then her eyes slid up to meet Sayuri’s and did not move away.

She looked...confused. Hurt. Maybe even angry. The cruel, uncaring girl she’d expected was not there at all, and instead there sat a girl who she would have offered to help if they’d met in a washroom. But while her expression softened, Angel’s grew guarded and she looked away sullenly. Uh-oh.

When Hideyoshi finished his story, he immediately turned to Angel and threw an arm around her shoulders, and Sayuri felt Toshiie’s leg brush hers as he kicked his friend under the table.

“Hey, long time no see,” Hideyoshi teased, grinning widely, but Angel just braced a hand gently against his chest to keep him from pulling her into a hug.

“Sorry about that,” Toshiie muttered to neither of them in particular, and then, “Angel, this is Sayuri, my girlfriend. Sayuri, this is Angel, my closest friend since we were kids.” Sayuri beamed at Angel, who gave a small smile in return.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” she murmured, looking away first to give Toshiie an almost challenging look. “I hear Inuchiyo talks about you all the time, but he never seems to do it around me.” The air grew colder immediately. 

“I-uh, that’s...interesting. He’s spoken of you to me. I’m glad to meet you, too.” Angel locked their gaze again, and Sayuri felt as if the girl was staring straight into her soul.

“Angel,” Toshiie huffed in a quiet reprimand, and her anger finally hit the surface.

“What?” she snapped, eyes burning up at the man, “It’s the truth. Or are we not doing that tonight?” Sayuri’s eyes widened. Oh, this was not going well. Hideyoshi coughed and stood up.

“I’m gonna get more drinks,” he announced before fleeing for the bar. Sayuri wished she could escape, too, but Toshiie was an immovable wall at her side, completely frozen by Angel’s words. She wasn’t done with him, either.

“I wanted us to meet so I could make sure you were being as _honest_ with her as you always are with me,” she continued, and Sayuri could _feel_ her stare drilling into Toshiie next to her. She gently put a hand on his arm, forcing a smile onto her lips. Damn, Saki hadn’t been kidding when she said acting talents were a must.

“I’m sure he’s told me about whatever you’re concerned about,” Sayuri said, trying to sound completely pleasant and unruffled, “Toshiie always tells me about anything in his heart. I know how much he cares for you.” As hoped, this distracted Angel from her stare down, but now that gaze was fixed on Sayuri. 

“Do you?” she asked, voice thick with implications. Toshiie grabbed Sayuri’s hand under the table, his hold tight, but she didn’t know if that was an encouragement or a warning, so she answered.

“I’m sure of it,” she confirmed pleasantly. “I know you’re in his heart, but if he didn’t look after those dearest to him, would he really be the Toshiie we all know and love?” She pushed it, resting her head casually against Toshiie’s broad shoulder. “I wouldn’t change a thing about him.” Sayuri was shocked and then horrified to see tears suddenly pooling in the poor girl’s eyes. Had she said the wrong thing?

“Good,” Angel choked out, eyes falling to the table, “I’m glad. It makes my really happy to see you two together. You’re wonderful. Excuse me.” Angel pushed away from the table suddenly and quickly disappeared into the crowd. Toshiie’s call for her to wait and come back went unheard, and Sayuri’s heart went out to him. She nudged him lightly, signaling for him to let her out of the booth.

“Let me,” she offered gently, “I bet I know where to find her.” Toshiie nodded glumly, slumping down into his seat just as Hideyoshi returned with a pitcher and some glasses.

“What’d I miss? Where’s Angel?” he asked as he slid in across from Toshiie, and Sayuri left them together as she headed for the place all drunk girls went to cry in a bar; the bathroom. When she slipped in, she could already hear the completely expected quiet sobs emanating from the furthest stall in the back corner.

“Angel?” she called gently as she approached the closed door; the crying stopped at once.

“If Inuchiyo sent you, please tell him I said ‘fuck off,’” she muttered thickly, and Sayuri had to really work hard to keep from smiling. She stood in front of the door, close enough she knew her feet would make her presence known.

“He didn’t,” Sayuri assured her, “it’s just me. Wanna come out and talk?” She was met with a long, tense silence, and she could completely understand Angel’s hesitation. “I _promise,_ whatever you say in here will stay in here.” She heard a faint, watery chuckle, and then the door clicked open.

Angel was a mess; tears tracked down her cheeks in heartbreaking lines, her eyes were red, her hair was in an even worse state than before. She wiped her face on her sleeve, appearing bashful and crushed all at once.

“I don’t even know what to say,” she admitted in a small voice, “I feel really stupid.” Sayuri’s heart ached, and she gently led Angel over to the sink so she could start helping her clean up.

“Don’t feel stupid,” Sayuri chided softly, going and grabbing a handful of paper towels from the dispenser. “None of your feelings are stupid. They’re just confusing right now.” She turned back to find Angel crying silently again, tears glittering like diamonds in her eyes. 

“They _are_ stupid,” she wailed, taking one of the offered towels from Sayuri and crushing it in her hand before pressing it to her face. Sayuri rubbed her back, trying to soothe her.

“Is this about Toshiie?” she asked, and Angel cried harder.

“ _Yes_ , but at the same time, no? I’m just so confused,” Angel sobbed, reaching for a second towel. 

“Okay,” Sayuri said slowly, “let’s start with him. I’m guessing that you might have some feelings for him?” She was pretty positive this was the case, so she was surprised when Angel shook her head.

“It’s just...he said some things the other day that made me think that maybe... _he_ had feelings for _me._ That’s why I insisted on meeting you. But you’re just so... _nice,_ ” Angel’s voice broke with another sob, but she went on, “Of course he loves you. I misunderstood and embarrassed him and myself and he probably hates me even more.” Oh, this poor girl. Sayuri made soothing sounds and petted her hair while using a fresh towel to dab at the wetness on the girl’s cheeks.

“Shh, don’t even worry about that,” she said as cheerfully as she could, “neither he nor I will be worried about that in the slightest.” She bit her lip, struggling to think. Toshiie...had been so _happy_ with her and Hideyoshi before Angel had shown up. Angel clearly didn’t share feelings for him; with how close and yet so distant from each other they were, Angel probably thought of him like a sibling. Sayuri would be doing them both a disservice by helping to push her into his arms. She was enlisted to play the part of the girlfriend, anyway, and what girlfriend would encourage someone else’s feelings towards her man? And...if she were being honest, she’d been lonely for a while now. Maybe _she_ could be the solution to this problem.

“So what else is hurting your heart, then?” she pressed gently, gathering the used towels to discard while handing Angel a fresh one. Angel sniffed, wiping the smudged makeup beneath her eyes.

“ _More_ stupid boy trouble,” Angel almost giggled, “you don’t need to worry about it.” Now _here_ was where it was getting good. Sayuri’s mind instantly flashed through Angel admitting to a crush on Hideyoshi. Sayuri helping to get her together with him, Toshiie realizing he loved Sayuri after having to keep her around for so long, the four of them the closest of friends. Angel was so sweet, Sayuri _did_ want to be friends, she was intrigued to realize. Angel sniffed again, considering.

“So we have this...mutual friend,” Angel began haltingly, as if she were trying to weigh her words before speaking them, drunk as she seemed. “He and I were hanging out, before I came here, but...” Angel paused right as Sayuri’s hopes fell a bit. So much for her daydream of Angel being in love with Hideyoshi; he’d been with her and Toshiie, waiting for Angel to arrive. Angel seemed to steel herself, or at least gave up on her reservations. “He kissed me. He- we probably would have made some serious mistakes if Toshiie hadn’t called to remind me-“ Angel grimaced, and Sayuri’s curiosity peaked; what was so wrong with that? Shouldn’t Angel be happy?

“Did you not want him to?” she prompted when Angel didn’t continue, and the girl was quick to deny the implication.

“No, no, I...I definitely wanted to. I think I might have started it. But he just...it was really unexpected and sweet and _hot_ and I don’t- he said I could choose what if anything we did from there, and I just...don’t know what I want.” She clenched her jaw, looking frustrated. “There are a _lot_ of reasons why us being together just wouldn’t be a good idea. A lot of reasons we shouldn’t have kissed at all...a big one of those reasons is seated at your table, actually. As is another one.” Sayuri let a smile start to grow on her lips. This was something she could help with.

“You know,” she began lightly, combing Angel’s hair away from her face, “there’s no rule that says you have to make up your mind after a kiss. Or a hundred kisses, or anything else you might do. You can choose to feel things on your own terms.” Angel gave a lopsided smile, still hesitating.

“I think I’ll hurt his feelings or _worse_ by fooling around with him,” she admitted almost sheepishly, and Sayuri scoffed. 

“Whoever this is, they’re a big boy. Let them sort out their own problems. Have a little fun.” Sayuri elbowed her playfully, and Angel let out a little giggle.

“What if I don’t want to actually be serious with him?” she hedged, and Sayuri shrugged.

“Then you’re just friends with benefits,” she flippantly replied, and the last of Angel’s hesitation seemed to melt away.

“You know, you’re too good for Toshiie,” she laughed, which turned into both of them giggling madly together for a long moment. “I like you, Sayuri. If Inuchiyo ever messes up, send him my way and I’ll straighten him out for you.” The way Angel winked and beamed, Sayuri felt sure they were going to be good friends, momentarily forgetting she was just the pretend-girlfriend.

“I will,” she promised solemnly, and then they broke out into another shared fit of laughter. Angel tidied up her makeup, and then sighed heavily.

“Guess we better get back to those guys, huh?” she said hollowly, and Sayuri took her hand.

“Come back and tell me embarrassing stories of Toshiie as a kid,” Sayuri grinned, “it’ll take your mind right off of things.”

“Alright, yeah. Why not?” Angel replied, and they headed back into the bar together.


	6. Chapter 6

Gen was in the small kitchen, sulking over the shot of whiskey he’d just poured for himself. Angel had fled his room hours ago, and though he knew where she was and what she was doing, he couldn’t keep himself from checking his phone every few minutes just in case. It had been a huge gamble on his part, he knew that, but...it wasn’t like he needed to play it cool for an audience of zero.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when the front door slammed back against the wall of the entryway and the previously silent house was suddenly filled with a number of voices slurring drunkenly over the top of one another. Gen cursed internally, heart jackhammering wildly in his chest; the monkey and the dog, home from the bar by the sound of it.

“Did you _really,_ Puppy? I can almost picture it,” Hideyoshi was laughing loudly as Toshiie groaned.

“Alright, alright, enough. No more stories, I’m begging here,” the larger man whined, and the sounds of their graceless movement into the living room made him wince. The last thing he wanted to do while the memory of kissing Angel was still fresh in his mind would be chilling with that drunken duo. Then a new voice, entirely unfamiliar, caught his attention.

“No, no, I have to hear what happened!” a girl complained, giggling, and Genya paused in the beginnings of his attempt to escape unnoticed; hadn’t they been out with Angel? Just as he thought of her, Angel’s voice, touched with humor, rang out.

“So the poor kid is laying in the dirt, nose _gushing_ blood, and Inuchiyo leans down over him and-“ A peal of laughter, light and beautiful and warm, cuts off her words before she continues. “And he goes, ‘be glad it was your nose. If you ever try to kiss her again, I’ll break your leg.’ Needless to say, we didn’t end up going to junior prom together, and Inuchiyo ended up having to take me instead.”

Hearing just how _funny_ his sweet girl found it when her overgrown guard dog pummeled her suitors made Genya flinch. He might be faster and sharper, but Toshiie would have brute strength on his side if they were to actually get into a fight. He would much prefer for them not to fight, if that could be avoided. Hasty exit it was, then. He grabbed his bottle of whiskey, planning to take it with him to his room, but when he turned around, there was a girl standing in the doorway of the kitchen, looking surprised and a little confused.

“Hey,” she blurted finally. “Sorry, do you have a glass? I wanted a drink of water.” 

“Who’re you talking to?” Hideyoshi called from the living room before Gen could even answer. “Come hang outtttt!” The three in the living room all started laughing and Gen sighed, putting on a smile for their ‘guest’.

“‘Course,” he hummed, already getting a glass and filling it before handing it over. “I’m Gen.” He didn’t like the way she eyed him appraisingly despite being unsteady on her feet; she was more focused than he wished.

“I’m Sayuri. Come hang out with us, Gen.” Her tone was teasing, but her eyes told him she’d issued a command rather than a request. He nodded his head, kept his whiskey on hand, and followed her into the living room.

“Gen!” Hideyoshi called out, “you shoulda come out with us, why weren’t you there?” It was a sharp jab in his chest to see how Angel’s eyes widened at the sight of him, but she relaxed quick enough, seeming to settle upon seeing how calm he looked. Ohh, if only she knew what a wreck he was, seeing her there.

“It’s because we _didn’t invite him,_ idiot,” Toshiie snarled, and Sayuri moved around Gen to drop delicately onto the seat next to him, batting at his arm.

“That’s just because this was supposed to be about me getting to know Angel better, though, wasn’t it?” The girl’s tact was unbelievable. Gen looked at the other couch and the only available seat left; his usual spot was open but would trap Angel between himself and Hideyoshi.

He held his mask of indifference firmly in place as he draped himself into the seat, careful to do it exactly as he would normally. Angel’s fingers twitched, but otherwise she gave no indication she even noticed his presence at her side. Then he noticed Sayuri staring at him, and her sharp, thoughtful look made it clear she’d caught him observing Angel’s reaction. The work required to keep his expression neutral increased drastically, even more so when she spoke again, innocent as could be.

“So, you’re one of the roommates, Gen?” Her stare was making him far more nervous than the superficial conversation she was offering warranted. “Get up to anything interesting today?” He kept his composure, feeling confident in his ability to beat whatever little game she was trying to play. Then he saw her smirk and realized she wasn’t watching _his_ reaction like the guys were.

Angel had visibly twitched, her cheeks blushed a lovely, deep red, and her wide eyes went right to Gen. No matter how he played this off, he realized this total stranger had just had her suspicions about the two of them confirmed. He didn’t know who she was or where she came from or if she could be trusted with that information, but _damn,_ he needed to take her gambling with him sometime. And she’d just done it with such finesse that neither Hideyoshi or Inuchiyo had noticed her-

“Oh, no, not Gen.” A hand fell onto his shoulder heavily and Gen’s stomach dropped. Mitsunari had approached their group unnoticed by him in his moment of clarity, and was standing next to Genya’s side of the couch meeting shocked crimson eyes with a smug expression. “I had a class get canceled and I’ve been home since lunchtime. Poor Genya didn’t leave all day.”

He _knew,_ Gen could tell from the sickly sweet tone and the stupid, superior expression he wore. That asshole _knew._ Gen felt himself go pale, but he fiercely held on to his outward calm.

“Nope, too much of a bother. And see, look, you brought the party to me.” Toshiie scoffed and Hideyoshi leaned over to elbow Angel gently.

“So what did you get up to while you were away? Have any run-ins with the scary roommate?” That sufficiently distracted not only Angel, but Sayuri as well, who demanded to know what that had meant. Mitsunari’s hand tightened painfully on his shoulder, but _still_ he clung to his benign expression, even as the blue-haired man leaned down to murmur in his ear.

“Just because I did not choose to reveal your treachery now, that does not mean I might not in the future. Watch yourself.” He released Gen and stood again in a swift motion, moving to join the conversation with the others. That was unlike him, usually he’d be avoiding them if they were all drunk and it was getting late. No, he just wanted to make sure Gen _knew_ they’d been busted. 

He tried to keep quiet throughout the time they all spent talking. Be chill, stay normal. So, two people knew...at least neither of those two had muscles he’d need to worry about. No imminent threat. Angel seemed to have let the moment pass easily enough; she was laughing and joking with them all again. He settled in to listen, interjecting here and there, mostly trying to keep his eyes off the gorgeous girl beside him.

Mitsunari was the first one to leave not too long after he’d arrived, and a few moments later Sayuri started to yawn.

“Wanna walk back to my place with me?” Angel offered with a cute little yawn of her own. “You can crash with me.” Gen sat up, ready to object, but-

“No, don’t be stupid,” Inuchiyo beat him to it, scowling at the girls. “It’s too late and you’re too drunk to walk back. Just stay here.” Angel and Sayuri barely glanced at each other before giggling.

“Sleepover!” Angel hummed, and Sayuri nodded.

“I’ll stay out here with you...you won’t mind, will you, honey?” Toshiie blushed and looked away with a gruff, uncomfortable laugh.

“No, you two have...fun...” he struggled awkwardly before Hideyoshi got up and threw an arm around his shoulders.

“Come on, Puppy, say goodnight to your girl and let’s leave them in peace.” The expression on his face was priceless; Gen snorted with laughter as Toshiie looked like he was deciding between melting into the floors or beating up Hideyoshi and _then_ melting into the floors. Sayuri, quick little thing, hopped up and walked to his side.

“Night, Toshiie,” she purred, getting up on her toes to give him a kiss on his cheek, “See you in the morning!” He blushed and stammered out a ‘goodnight’ before Hideyoshi dragged him away, and Gen took that as his cue to get out of there.

“Well, ladies, enjoy your night,” he said casually, oh so casually, rolling off the couch and heading off towards the hall without a backward glance. He’d almost made it.

“Wait, Gen?” He closed his eyes as that voice called him back, irresistible as anything, and he didn’t have it in him to pretend he hadn’t heard her even though he knew he should.

“What’s up, gorgeous?” he said, just like he would have any other time. It didn’t _feel_ the same, though. He felt like his ridiculous feelings were blazing in his eyes. She didn’t react the same, either; when he turned, Angel was closer to him than he’d realized, blushing furiously.

“Um, could I...could we talk for a minute?” she asked softly, glancing behind her uncomfortably at Sayuri. Too obvious, pretty girl. And Sayuri already knew too much.

“Yeah,” he answered carelessly, but made no move to change their location. Angel blushed harder, eyes flicking nervously to the living room again and back up to his.

“I was...could we maybe go-“ she started, and Genya had to stop her before he let her do something they’d regret later. At least, his face would probably regret it if word of this got back to Maeda. He reached forward to barely brush against her hand with his fingers, the movement so subtle that Sayuri _probably_ couldn’t see from her place in the living room.

“Let’s just talk later, yeah?” he cut her off smoothly with one of his usual, easygoing smiles. Just like this afternoon had never happened. “Go have fun.” He let his hand fall, spun around again, and fled.

Gen kept his damn cool, though, all the way until his door closed behind him. Then he slumped back against it, letting his expression crumble, and tried not to think about the hurt look he’d left on Angel’s face when he refused her. He never wanted to be the cause of that sadness in her eyes again.

Angel spent most of the next morning texting Saki. She wasn’t exactly sure why she’d started in the first place; everything seemed to be back to normal with the guys for the most part, and she’d found a fast friend in Sayuri, and could have messaged any of them. Maybe it was because of how she still felt so torn over Genya that she decided on an uninvolved third party. Maybe it was because of how well opening up to Sayuri had worked out. Whatever the reason, after she’d left the house that morning and gone to her class, it was Saki she messaged while she ignored her texts and let them pile up in her inbox. 

She had already previously been chatting with Saki, getting to know one another, so the conversation hadn’t been that difficult to start up. Saki said she’d listen openly and give her honest, unbiased opinion since she didn’t know anyone involved. And Angel poured her heart out to the poor girl.

She told Saki about growing up with Inuchiyo, about how she had confusing feelings over him having a girlfriend but how the girlfriend turned out to be such a sweetheart. How his best friend said he liked her but there had been so much other drama going on that she’d totally ignored the message and then acted as if it never happened. She told her about crying to Sayuri in the bathroom. Then she told her about Gen, about kissing him, about him shutting her down when she drunkenly tried to talk to him about things last night. About how she wasn’t sure if she was making a terrible choice or if he was offering her exactly what she needed right now, something uncomplicated and fun. She told Saki _everything,_ in the hopes she could tell Angel some perfect answer that would make things go back to normal. 

Saki listened. She was really supportive, consoling Angel when she seemed to need it, and the morning was quickly gone. Saki told her that her feelings were all valid, that it was all her decision what she did or didn’t do. She suggested that Angel take some time to focus on each problem in turn rather than trying to tackle them all at once and getting tangled up with confusing things. She said she would be waiting to hear what happened. In the end, by the time Angel was heading to her last class of the day, she was feeling much better about everything despite nothing being solved; her outlook on her ability to deal with things had changed.

So much so that when she caught sight of Saku standing at the steps to the lecture hall, she was already calling out to him in greeting before she took in his grim expression...and who was standing next to him.

“Ah! There you are, Miss Basile. I was just asking Mr. Fujibayashi here where I could find you,” Juami’s voice froze her in her tracks as he leered at her, his smile making Angel consider running away. She couldn’t exactly do that, though...

“Professor Juami,” she acknowledged him as she took the final few steps into the range of polite conversation, “What did you need?” Sakuya moved his head the tiniest fraction from side to side, trying to signal to her, but it was too late. The lecherous smile grew.

“I need to discuss something with you in my office, please.” When Angel bit her lip, brain scrambling for an excuse, he spoke more forcefully. “It’s about your future in your program, my dear. I have an opportunity I wish to share with you.” Angel could think of no real way to excuse herself when it was put like that, though she was fairly certain she’d be turning down whatever offer he was going to make. So she nodded and pretended not to notice Saku clenching his jaw.

“Of course! Saku, we can compare notes right after, okay? Wait for me,” she said brightly, though she was doing her best to communicate her plea for backup with a desperate, pointed look at her friend.

“Sure, I’ll be right outside,” he confirmed easily, stepping aside as Juami clapped his hands together and began guiding Angel forward.

“Wonderful. This way, Miss Basile,” he said, eagerly putting a hand on her elbow as he led her forward under the pretense of correcting her direction. She desperately hoped Saku was following them and really _would_ be right outside. Juami was quick to close the door behind them once they’d entered the room, and gestured her towards a chair in front of his desk. 

“Well, Angel. It’s alright if I call you Angel? Angel, you stand out among your peers,” Juami began, not even giving her a second to respond to him. Instead of walking around behind his desk, he circled her chair, stopping to lean back on the desk just in front of her. She grimaced but he had already continued speaking. “I’d like to offer you a position as one of my teaching assistants.” He paused, then took the opportunity to continue in the wake of Angel’s shocked silence. “As I’m sure you know, positions like that look _very_ good both to the head of your department and to future employers.”

_That_ was true, she did know that much. Yet something in his creepy, expectant smile told her that she would regret saying yes.

“That’s...thank you for considering me for the position,” she finally stammered out, “Could I take some time to think about the offer?” Juami laughed, and it made Angel’s skin crawl.

“Take all the time you need,” he said, lurching his heavy form away from the desk and taking a step towards her. “I’m sure you’ll make the right choice.” He reached a hand out land aid it on her shoulder, oppressively leaning over her. “After all, a man as influential as I am could destroy your future just as easily as I could help it.” Every part of Angel turned to ice as his implications sank in.

“Wh-what? A-are you threat-“ Angel breathed, completely shocked, but Juami cut her off with a mocking laugh.

“Oh no, my dear girl, not at all!” he exclaimed, letting his moist, meaty hand slide down her arm to take her hand. She felt stricken, too stunned to move, and he clutched her limp fingers almost painfully tight. “I’m just pointing out, your refusal would make me question your seriousness about your academic future. If I feel a student is unsuited for the learning environment we seek to provide here, then no matter what your grades were, it would be my duty as a professor and a benefactor to this prestigious university to give you an incomplete in my _required_ course until I felt your dedication had improved.”

With one final squeeze to her hand, Juami released her. He moved around to the other side of his desk casually as Angel just sat there, completely immobile as her brain raced to process what he was saying. What he was implying. If he actually _could,_ if she could fight it, if anyone would believe her...She jerked when Juami suddenly swung his computer screen around to face her. The first thing she noticed was the University ID card photo of Sakuya.

“One of the reasons I need a TA is to make sure I don’t have a careless accident that could poorly impact a student.” The blood drained from her face slowly; Angel had a sinking suspicion about where this was headed. 

“You see, if there’s no one to double-check my work,” he paused, using the mouse to select the box containing some numbers she assumed were Sakuya’s overall grade in the class, “then one small mistake, one typo, one...brush of a finger...” Juami pulled his hand from the mouse and set it on his desk casually. His fat finger, however, had come to rest on the edge of the keyboard and had hit something that erased the highlighted numbers. “Someone’s whole future, changed by an act of fate.” He beamed at her, and Angel wanted to be sick.

He left her there, saying he was going to go get ready for class, and that he’d see her ‘smiling face’ then. Angel still hadn’t spoken, hadn’t moved. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t _stop_ thinking, her head spun as she just sat there, unable to do anything else. How had she gotten into this situation, again? 

“Angel?” A faint tap sounded on the door. “I saw Juami get to class five minutes ago but you still haven’t come out. Are you okay?” _Was_ she okay? She was fine...nothing had happened, really, right?

“I’m...fine. I’m coming. I’m sorry.” Angel forced herself into action; she staggered to her feet and made her way to the now-open door and a worried-looking Sakuya. “Sorry. He’s just skeevy and I didn’t want to walk out with him, so I took a minute to gather myself. Let’s get out of here.” Saku hesitated, but ultimately followed her like a shadow as they made their way to the lecture hall.

He stopped her at the door just before they entered the class; he reached out, careful not to touch her but close enough for her to understand his intent.

“Angel, you don’t have to go in. If something happened, if he said something to you-“

“What, no! No, we need to be in class,” she cut him off, voice strained with anxiety. “I’ll be fine, Saku.” He wore a skeptical look, and made no move for the door.

“Alright...can I take you home after this, then?” he asked, eyes searching hers. “I’d feel better about seeing you safely to where you need to go.” Angel was touched, and grateful, and though she wasn’t sure if she would want space or companionship by the time class was over, she knew someone to walk with sounded nice.

“Sure thing,” she tried to act cheerful, reaching around him to open the door. “Let’s go.”

The sound of Juami’s voice lecturing to the class had Angel in a near-panic within moments; she took out her phone and started going through the texts she’d ignored while talking to Saki. The one at the top from Sayuri, who she’d exchanged numbers with the night before, made her smile despite herself.

Sayuri: hope your hangover’s treating you better than mine is haha. It was so nice to meet you, have a good day! 

That girl...if there was anyone in the world she thought could give Inuchiyo the love he deserved, it was her. She should be happy for him...she _was_ happy for him! She clicked into Toshiie’s message next, hoping he was glad he’d finally introduced them.

Inuchiyo-boo: so are we good now, Angel?  
Inuchiyo-boo: did you and Sayuri get along? You guys seemed to last night  
You: yeah, we are. And yes, she’s so sweet! Why don’t you bring her around more??

Angel left it there, smirking as she imagined how flustered he probably was, and then almost guiltily clicked on Hideyoshi’s. She knew she was being a jerk, not even acknowledging his feelings, but she was just too overwhelmed by everything else at the moment and he was essentially ignoring it as well, so she just...didn’t address it. It was nice though, to see his messages and the care behind them without feeling pressured by him at all.

Monkey-face: hey Angel, you gonna come hang out today? It’s been weird not having you around  
You: yeah, I might...if not today then tomorrow. I missed you guys too. Whatcha been up to?

The last message was the one she was the most nervous about opening, but...this was Gen. She should have realized, the man didn’t seem capable of the drama she was imagining.

Video Game Ninja: sup, gorgeous. We can talk whenever you want, just wanted to get to bed last night. Wanna chill later?

That eased a little portion of the heartache she’d been feeling. He definitely didn’t sound like he was shutting her down now. Her heart fluttered at his question, wondering if he meant to talk, or to _chill._ Either way, she realized, she wanted to say yes. On the other hand...she’d just told Hideyoshi she might come over.

You: well...i DO wanna talk, but Hideyoshi was just asking if I was coming over. Don’t think we’re gonna get much time between the two of us there  
Video Game Ninja: hmm. Let’s see what I can do about that.  
Video Game Ninja: I’ll text you in a bit.  
You: sounds good 

Angel closed his message with a sigh, then reopened Sayuri’s. She was sure Inuchiyo’s precious girlfriend could keep her busy enough for the rest of class that she wouldn’t have to think about the repulsive man behind the podium.

Inuchiyo let out a heavy sigh as he dropped down onto one of their couches. Genya was sprawled across the other as usual, glued to his phone with his bong on the coffee table beside him, so Toshiie just ignored him. Hearing his entrance into the communal space, Hideyoshi popped his head in from the kitchen.

“Sounds like you just got a scolding, Puppy. Did you make a mess in the house again already?” Inuchiyo shot him a glare. All of this was _his_ fault, anyway.

“No, jackass. Angel liked Sayuri...like a lot. I think we gotta talk to her about an extended gig.” He didn’t like the idea...he didn’t want those girls getting _too_ close. He knew Angel; no one on earth could deny her something she truly wanted, and he didn’t want her winning over Sayuri and finding out the truth. Hideyoshi kicked the fridge closed and sauntered in, cooing with mock sympathy.

“Oh dear, he’s gone from no girls to too many. Whatever will you do?” He pushed Inuchiyo’s feet to the ground and sat in the seat they’d previously occupied, then winked mischievously. “You know, I’ll gladly take one of them off your hands.”

“Great,” Toshiie smirked. “I’ll text Sayuri and you can go ask for me.” Hideyoshi spluttered, waving his hands.

“Wh- nope! I meant Ang-“ But Inuchiyo had the upper hand for once, and intended to use it.

“You didn’t specify,” he growled cheerfully, pulling his phone up. “I’ll see if she’s free right now.” 

“Can’t, I...uh... _HEY MITSU!_ ” Hideyoshi shouted suddenly, and the blue-haired man appeared so fast it was like he’d just been _waiting_ for the brunette’s call.

“Yes, Hideyoshi?” The look Hideyoshi gave Mitsunari was so obvious even _Inuchiyo_ could tell it was a plea to play along, and he scowled.

“Weren’t we gonna go grab a super late lunch right now?” Hideyoshi asked too-loudly, and Toshiie huffed.

“Cool, she can meet you there,” he countered, and Mitsunari jumped in immediately.

“It’s not his responsibility to take care of your problems, mongrel. Deal with it yourself.” Inuchiyo bristled; he didn’t take well to Mitsu’s constant condescension. Before he could stand to face off against the man, however, a previously forgotten Genya smirked without even looking up from his phone.

“Sheesh, you guys, sounds like you might want to head on out to ‘lunch.’ I’m sure he’ll be a good dog an’ get it done.” The unexpected help was all the opportunity Hideyoshi needed to grab Mitsu’s arm and drag him towards the door and out of punching distance.

“Right you are Gen, good luck Puppy!” he shouted before slamming the door shut behind their retreating figures. Inuchiyo turned his fury on the useless stoner laying on his couch.

“You sure seemed to want them out of here,” he grumbled, eyeing his roommate suspiciously, but Gen still didn’t look up. He halfheartedly shrugged, typing something out on his phone that seemed to merit more of his attention than Toshiie did.

“Yeah, man. Mitsu’s always such a bitch when I smoke,” he chuckled, finally putting down his phone to reach for his bong. “Want some?”

“No,” Inuchiyo declined flatly, and Genya shrugged again before lighting the bowl.

“You gonna talk to her?” he asked, voice distorted as he held in the smoke, and Toshiie’s eyes narrowed.

“What’s it matter to you?” he snapped back, and Gen held up his hands, blowing his smoke past a smirk.

“Hey don’t gimme that look. I’ve just got money on how long until this all blows up in your face, see? I’m kinda hoping none of you talk to that girl and she and Angel become _best friends,_ ” he trailed off, laughing, and Toshiie’s mind raced. If Sayuri decided she liked Angel more than them, the charade was as good as over. That would go _really_ badly for him- he’d probably be better off admitting everything to her on his own than letting _that_ happen. Or...making sure Sayuri had a reason to want to stay on their side.

Inuchiyo _did_ start a message to Sayuri then, getting to his feet quickly. That would be the best way, the easiest way...he just needed to have a heart to heart with Sayuri, so she’d know how much this meant to him.

“Awh, where you goin’?” Gen whined, but Toshiie ignored him; he was already trying to think of the right words to give to Sayuri so she’d understand why he was going through all of this for the woman he’d loved since they were kids. He was out of the house and well out of earshot when Gen snorted and picked up his phone again.

“Perfect.”

When the seemingly-eternal lecture was done, Angel jumped to her feet. Saku would get her home, and Gen had just texted to let her know he’d worked his magic and everyone was out of the house. She was excited, jittery, and filled the silence between her and Saku effortlessly as they made their way across campus towards the student housing. He was usually on the quieter side, so it took her a while, but when he still hadn’t spoken at all as they reached her building, she began to feel a little awkward. She turned, intending to thank him and wish him farewell, but he was glancing behind them.

“Angel,” he spoke in a low murmur before she could say anything at all, “do you trust me?” She hesitated, trying to follow his gaze to see what he was looking at, but she was left with nothing.

“Sure,” she agreed, a little warily, “why?”

“I need you to go upstairs, pack an overnight bag, and then come _right_ back down. Then I’ll take you somewhere safe.” Angel froze at that last word.

“When you s-“ she began lowly, but his gaze flew to her, urgent and begging.

“ _Quickly,_ ” he stressed, and Angel nodded before darting away from him and into the building. She flew through the corridors to the elevator, bouncing in place before throwing herself into one as soon as the doors dinged open. If Sakuya wanted to take her someplace _safe,_ that meant that _here_ wasn’t safe. The fact that she couldn’t see a reason _why_ her apartment wasn’t safe was what scared her the most, though. Had Saku been watching their back the whole time he’d been silently walking them here?

She raced out of the elevator and hurried into her apartment and then room. She packed a backpack with the first clean clothes she put her hands on, her toothbrush and toothpaste, her phone charger, her wallet. Then she was off again, hurtling downstairs and back to Saku.

“Follow me,” he murmured before leading her away from the area quickly. Now it was Angel’s turn to shadow him, and so she did; so closely was she following at his heels that she didn’t realize they were in one of the parking garages until the sunlight was blocked out. He led her straight to a black SUV and ushered her inside, closing the door for her before her slid into the driver’s seat himself.

“Juami followed us to your building,” he told her as he started the car, “he knows where you live.” Those words were so simple, his tone was so calm, they were already pulling away, but Angel’s stomach dropped and her heart began to race immediately. Juami had followed her back to her apartment. If she’d been trying to delude herself into thinking there was no ulterior motive behind his ‘offer,’ this firmly confirmed it in her mind. If he was willing to stalk her to her building, she had no doubt he’d ‘persuade’ whoever was at the desk to give him her unit number.

“I can’t go back there,” she whispered in horror, “I can’t _stay_ there.” She felt deeply violated. She felt guilty for not noticing, and so, so grateful that Sakuya had. She looked at him; Sakuya had probably just _saved_ her.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he was trying to reassure her, “you can stay with me until you can find someplace to go.” A humorless smile graced her lips; that wouldn’t be necessary. She knew one couch she could crash on and definitely not be afraid of what would happen to _her_ if Juami came after her there.

“It’s alright, Saku, I know a place I can go.” He nodded and gave no argument, instead following her directions towards the guys’ house. She noticed a frown grow on his face when they turned onto the street, however, which had turned into a full-blown scowl by the time he parked his car out front. Angel appreciated his concern, but he’d done more than enough for her already.

“Promise, Saku, I’ll be fine here. A few of my guy friends live here; they’ll make sure he doesn’t try anything.” She pushed the door of his SUV open and slid partway out before turning to give him a sincere, bright smile. “You really saved me, though...I don’t even know how to tell you how much I appreciate you.”

“Just...stay safe, Angel. I’ll see you next class.” His hands flexed on the steering wheel and he looked away, so with a final ‘see you then!’ she shut his door and hurried into the house.

Gen was waiting for her; she could tell even though he was just laying there on the couch like usual. Maybe it was just because _she_ had been waiting so expectantly to see _him,_ or her unbalanced emotions, but everything about him beckoned to her from the second she saw him. He must have seen something in her expression, or maybe he just _knew_ how she longed for more of his touch despite all rational thought, because for the first time since their kiss he dropped his strict adherence to ‘normal.’

Normally, Gen would have greeted her with a nod and a smirk or a ‘sup’ or something equally nonchalant while _maybe_ sitting up. Gen did none of those things. Instead, he stayed laying down but spread his arms wide, an obvious invitation.

“C’mere,” he purred, and all Angel could think about was the last time he’d given her that command.

She hesitated. Inuchiyo could and _would_ cause Gen physical harm were he to find out; surely Gen knew this. Or he could get Hideyoshi and Mitsunari to agree to kick him out. And her, if they let her stay. That was all disregarding Juami, the creepy, pervy, threatening stalker, and Saku, her hero several times over, both of whom she’d only _just_ left behind. And...Gen just wanted something casual, while she...didn’t know what she wanted at all. This might not end up casual. Either of them could get hurt. _Both_ of them could get hurt. She didn’t know if she was a ‘casual thing’ kind of person.

When she hesitated, Gen let his arms fall casually back to drape over the couch. He looked away quickly, but he wasn’t fast enough in putting on his indifferent expression to hide a flash of something else. 

“Ah, sorry gorgeous, you looked like you coulda used a hu-u-uhn...” As soon as she’d seen the longing in his eyes, Angel had started towards him; his words were cut off as she threw herself into his arms, head tilting back and lips seeking his the moment their bodies touched.

“I had a bad day,” she murmured against his jaw, which her lips had fallen on first. Her hands were already working quickly, as if they had a mind of their own, feeling up his stomach and chest as they hurriedly hiked his shirt up to where it had been when they’d left off last time. “Make me forget about it.” She let her tongue trail behind her words, licking and nibbling and kissing a path to his lips, which greeted her enthusiastically.

Genya hummed appreciatively as he moved his lips against hers and then quickly deepened their kiss, tongue teasing its way into her mouth. His hands ran down her back to her hips, which he held on to as she rolled herself more fully over him, stopping with a leg on either side of his torso. He drew back, catching her lower lip gently with his teeth and lightly tugging it.

“With pleasure,” he murmured, but kept himself carefully still other than his fingertips which stroked the skin just under the hem of her shirt. “You’ll tell me when I need to stop, yeah?” Angel rolled her eyes, but a tiny, soft smile crept onto her face before mischievousness filled her expression. She leaned down, chest pressed against his, to whisper right in his ear, brushing against it as she spoke and feeling Gen shudder underneath her when she did.

“What if I ask you _not_ to stop?” Angel had barely gotten the question out before Gen gasped out a breath and then was moving underneath her in earnest. One of his hands dove into her hair, pulling her back to claim her lips in a heated kiss that left her clinging to him desperately, while the other moved higher under her shirt, greedily taking in every bit of her skin he could reach. 

Angel recovered herself enough to put her own hands to use, tugging his shirt up until Gen got the hint and broke their kiss to yank it off and throw it away from him before tugging off her own as well. Her bra followed right behind it, and then Gen returned to her quickly. He didn’t allow space between them, coaxing her body to fit against his snugly as he clutched at her and moaned his appreciation of the contact of their newly-bared skin. His hands ignited the part of her screaming to chase after the feelings he was offering, and so she ignored everything except the coiling heat in the pit of her stomach and the way his crimson eyes shone up at her like she was the best thing he’d ever seen.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Angel,” he sighed, falling back and taking in the sight of her braced above him. His eyes briefly flashed towards the still-unlocked door in the entry way behind her and then back. “Think we should move the party to my room...?” Angel leaned back as well, on her knees above him and enjoying the view of his pale, defined torso and arms exposed between her thighs. 

“Well,” she drew out the word, pulling a hand off his chest to tap her chin as if in thought, “we don’t have to, but some of the things I want you to do to me would work better on a be-hey!” The playful seriousness in her tone had been broken when Genya suddenly surged up beneath her, picking her up easily in the same fluid motion that had him off the couch and heading towards the hallway.

“Then by all means, let me accommodate you, gorgeous,” he said generously, earning a breathless laugh from Angel as he carried her into his room and kicked the door shut behind them. In seconds, he had laid her carefully onto his bed and was looking down at her with an easy, honest grin. “You were right. This way’s better,” he teased before he lowered himself over her.

Gen’s breath was hot against her skin as he kissed her throat, brief licks and scrapes of teeth distracting Angel as the hand not holding his weight off of her began to explore. Every stroke and press and touch was purposeful, intentionally making her squirm and hum underneath him until his fingers found the waist of her jeans. 

As he slid the tip of a single finger into them and trailed it around to the button on the front, Angel let her own hand twist into the fluffy silver hair that was just as soft as she’d imagined. Muscles shifted and flexed underneath her other hand behind his shoulder as he twisted the button open in an impressively dexterous display. His hand slipped into her pants, brushing against her just as his teeth sank into the thin, gentle skin at the juncture of her neck and shoulder.

“Gen!” she cried out, fingers gripping him tightly as he teased at her, sliding a finger languidly along the very seam of her, and she felt his smirk before his lips began hunting back up her neck towards hers.

“Don’t tell me you’re bowin’ out already,” he murmured, humor in his voice, and shifted his weight to his elbow so his hand was free to cradle her face. “If you’re gonna stop me, better do it now.” His fingers gave an especially firm stroke, pressing directly against the bundle of nerves that sat at her apex, and her hips jerked involuntarily as she whimpered. A smirk bloomed before Gen finished, “Because I wanna hear you call my name like that again.” Then he claimed her lips once more as one of his fingers finally pushed into her. It was quickly followed by a second, and Angel let out a wordless sound as her back arched and her hips canted forward against Genya’s hand. 

He was gentle, but gave her no time to recover before he was working her body in ways she’d never experienced before. He seemed to know her body and it’s every want better than she did herself, although that was a low bar. She’d slept with her high school boyfriend once, and it had been _nothing_ like this. It wasn’t very long before the sure, well-placed thrusts of his hand got what he was after. Angel couldn’t have held back if she’d wanted to.

“Gen,” she called, needing so much more, and he obliged before his name had fully left her. A third finger penetrated her at the same time that he’d curled the others, stroking her in a way that made her feel like begging and simultaneously creating a need in her and easing that need in the same motion. He was playing with her body like a damned game, and the irritating notion actually served to set her off even more; Genya definitely knew what he was doing. As if in response to her thought, his thumb came up to that cluster of sensitive nerves and moved around it in an easy circle. Her body spasmed underneath him, but was kept in place by the little weight he was resting on her.

When she’d broken their kiss, his lips had slowly begun to travel down her neck, detouring to graze his teeth against her collarbones. Her reaction, however, made him pause to glance down at her, but Angel didn’t want to give him the opportunity to tease her further. Nor did she know how long they’d actually have alone. She hastily reached down and began working open his pants, tugging them down as far as she was able until Gen paused, extracting his hand carefully before finishing the job for her. He stood before her, eyebrow raised expectantly.

Genya had always been attractive in a lazy, stoner sort of way, but the Genya in front of her, starkly naked and completely at ease, was something else. His clothes hid a toned, trim physique, and the display of his masculinity proudly jutting from his hips was impressive to say the least. He chuckled, winking at her and kneeling at the foot of the bed.

“See somethin’ you like?” he purred, gently tugging her underwear and jeans off and away. Angel blushed faintly, but she felt far too needy to waste time on his teasing and preening. She needed to take him down a peg or two and make him as desperate as she was. 

Angel slowly drew her knees up, keeping them together but letting her feet go to either side of her. She saw the hungry look in his eyes, and she knew she had him. She put one hand above her knees and beckoned him closer.

“I did, actually,” she hummed, and then let her knees fall to the side, “don’t you?” Genya’s eyes ravaged her, drinking her in unabashedly as she hid her silent chuckles behind her hand. Then he seemed to come to himself and a low laugh rumbled out of his chest.

“You have no idea,” he promised, crawling up from the foot of the bed until he settled himself between her legs. He leaned over her to his bedside table, and she appreciated the skin above her with little kisses and sucks that had him twitching. He returned quickly, dropping a condom onto the bed beside her and resting his hands on the tops of her thighs. He seemed to be gauging her reaction; sweet, but unnecessary. 

“Please,” she murmured, leaning up to wrap a hand around the back of his neck and pulling him closer. When he was within reach once more, Angel pressed their lips together urgently. She wanted him _now,_ and she could tell his control was slipping in the way he was gripping her as their tongues danced and pushed against one another. Her heartbeat was frantic in anticipation, and she drew back just enough to meet his eyes, playful and pleading at once. “Please, don’t stop.”

Genya groaned helplessly, capturing her in endless kisses while he grabbed for the condom and fumbled it open and onto himself. Mission accomplished, his hands went to her hips and pulled her towards him. She momentarily felt his length against her entrance before he was pressing inside her, fully sheathing himself in one slow, fluid movement. Angel’s back bowed up off the bed as her breath caught and her nails sunk into his back. Gen felt _so_ good, filling her in ways she’d never experienced before. He bit his lip and rolled his hips experimentally, pushing him somehow a fraction deeper and making her eyes flutter closed with a gasp. He didn’t give Angel the chance to beg him to continue, which she would have done, and instead drew back until just the very tip of him remained.

For a second, she thought he looked like he wanted to say something, his eyes seemed like they were shining with some bright emotion, but it was more than likely just her own endorphins going haywire. In either case, he said nothing before he thrust forward again, rocking into and back out of her with a sharp breath in between his teeth. Then again, and at a marginally different angle that made him brush against something in her that drew a wordless sound from her. His familiar smirk was somehow softer and sharper.

“Got you now, gorgeous,” he hummed, then his next thrust hit the spot he’d only brushed previously and Angel threw her head back with a loud moan.

“O-oh god Genya,” she gasped, “ _again._ ” He did as she said with instant obedience, setting a pace that left her breathless and burning and _aching_ for more, selfish for every single thing he had to give. Her hips rose to meet his every single time he plunged forward, her nails left unheeded lines scraped in their wake, and red marks from sucking kisses quickly dotted his chest and neck. Every move he made pushed her closer and closer to the end her body desperately sought after, and when one of his hands shifted between them to press and tease at her hooded cluster of nerves, she nearly found it. Gen’s pace was faltering, losing tempo as he lost control.

“Angel,” his voice was rougher, deeper than she’d ever heard it before, “ _fuck,_ you feel so good.” She made a sound somewhere between a whimper and a purr, shifting her hips against a hand that toyed with her even while his hips pounded her into the mattress. She was so _close,_ but he kept her on that edge, until finally he groaned. “You turn me on so much. Make me wanna...Nn...” The sound of him coming undone for her was what finally pushed Angel over the edge and crashing into a wave of excruciating pleasure. As she gasped his name, core clenching around him tightly, she felt his body pulse solidly within her until his movement slowed and then stopped altogether.

Without warning, Gen let himself collapse and roll onto his side, dragging her completely limp body along with him. He pulled away from her just long enough for him to get rid of the condom, and then he had tucked Angel securely against him, chin resting on her head.

“I know snuggling isn’t part of the deal, but if it’s okay with you...” Gen trailed off, constricting the arms he already had wrapped around her to convey his desire. Angel giggled weakly, struggling to roll over within his hold before relaxing against his chest.

“Just for a few minutes...I don’t want to move. Maybe ever again.” She’d meant for it to sound teasing, but instead of laughing, Gen buried his face in her hair. 

“Me either. Goin’ to sleep,” he hummed, and then actually _did._ Angel waited for his breathing to even out before she began petting her fingers through soft, fluffy hair absently. Leave it to Gen to fall asleep, that was just so.. _like_ him. She really didn’t want to move, though; Angel was still feeling wonderfully boneless after what he’d done to her. And she’d had such an emotionally exhausting day, just taking a few minutes to lay down wouldn’t be so bad. She tugged Gen’s comforter over them and pillowed her head on his shoulder. The house was so quiet...it was usually so busy, but...with just the two of them there...it was almost like...

They’d left the curtains half-open. He’d had an unobstructed view of them from outside without even having to search around. It was so disgustingly easy, he could have come across them by mistake.

It had been no mistake, however.

Of course he’d followed her, parking his car on a side road and walking back on foot. It hadn’t taken him long, but it was apparently long enough for the man she was with to start taking off their clothes. Angel did not stop him, she was touching him, they were _kissi-_

His heart wrenched painfully. No, not her...not with _him._ He watched when his brother, maybe sensing someone nearby, looked at the front door; Sakuya had to hold in a sigh as he realized the idiots probably hadn’t locked it, either. It wasn’t the door he should be worrying about, at least not this time. Then Gen scooped up Angel and took her to a room out of sight, and Saku...followed them. It wasn’t hard to do; Angel’s calls might as well have been for him. Genya was better about his privacy, so Saku couldn’t see in, but he didn’t need to; he heard everything.

Long after they’d both gone silent, Saku crept back to his SUV, mind and heart in shambles. This was worse than he’d imagined when she brought him to the address. He’d needed to make sure he would be leaving her in safe hands, and now he knew one thing for sure; this was _not_ a safe place for Angel to be. Inside his car, Saku sat in the driver’s seat, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

If Angel could get up to this much trouble between the one class and where she was choosing to live, what else could fate have in store to throw at her? She needed more protection from him than he’d anticipated...and he needed to find a way to keep her safe, even here. _Especially_ here.


	7. Chapter 7

Hideyoshi ended up actually taking Mitsu out to eat as a ‘thank you’ for playing a part in his escape. Mitsunari seemed eager to simply be out with him, and he made a mental note to hang out just he and Mitsu more. He was a good guy. They found a seat after placing an order at the counter, and while they waited, Hideyoshi couldn’t keep his thoughts from drifting. Wandering, as they always seemed to lately, right to Angel.

He’d thought she was cute and endearing right from their first meeting. He had kept his interest at bay, knowing she was the _true_ focus of Toshiie’s devotion, but...the more they’d spent time together, the more drawn to her he was. Everything about her was effortlessly sweet and funny, she was beautiful, she was so quick when he flirted with her. He’d been serious in wanting to stake some sort of claim on her with that whole drinking-night-with-the-Puppy thing. What a shame he’d technically conceded just a moment too soon. And she’d ignored the message he’d sent her that night, and they’d both just pretended it never happened, but...he wanted her to take him seriously. What a change _that_ was.

Mitsunari returning to the seat across from him drew Hideyoshi’s focus back to reality; he hadn’t even noticed their order being called. He perked up a bit as he noticed Mitsu’s phone on the table. Right, he’d been talking to Angel about everything, hadn’t he?

“So has our girl given you anything good?” he asked, and Mitsu looked down almost guiltily at the device.

“She’s getting there,” he hedged, and...it almost seemed to Hideyoshi like the man was trying to keep something from him. What had Angel said?

“Did she say anything about me yet?” Hideyoshi asked hopefully, and the way Mitsunari looked away and struggled for words told him she _had._ “Come on, let me see!” He held out his hand eagerly, hoping Mitsunari planned to hand it over to him like he had the other day.

“I think...you should just let me tell you what I think about what she said,” Mitsunari answered slowly, sliding his phone closer to his side of the table. Before Hideyoshi could object, Mitsu looked up at him with a bright smile. “You wouldn’t want to say something you’re not supposed to know about, would you?” Hideyoshi supposed that was a smart move...he slumped dejectedly into his seat again. “That bad, huh?”

“It’s not that at all,” Mitsu was quick to reassure him. “Obviously, you’d be her best choice by far, even if the little fool doesn’t see it yet.” Hideyoshi rolled his eyes, picking at his fries half heartedly.

“Whatever. Thanks for trying, though,” he moped. If figuring out what she thought behind the scenes wouldn’t work, what would? Sayuri seemed to be doing a good job of keeping Toshiie out of her head, at least, he thought snidely. But hanging out with Puppy and ‘his lady’ at the bar waiting for Angel...that had been the point where he’d seen what he could have. Toshiie and his girl, and he with Angel, staying close friends even past college, getting together a few times a week at a bar, having Angel to himself the rest of the time...He wanted that. Toshiie would get over it eventually, see that he and Angel were always meant to share that sibling type of bond. He’d be a great brother-in-law.

“I’m serious,” Mitsunari insisted, “I had an idea for you.” At that, Hideyoshi perked up.

“Oh yeah?” he asked eagerly, and Mitsu smirked. He picked up his phone and began scrolling through it. He scrolled a _lot_...how much were Angel and ‘his sister’ talking? It made him uncomfortable in a decidedly unhelpful way, but luckily the blue-haired man opposite him found what he was looking for.

“Yes. See, she has been talking about a ridiculous number of petty issues and how they steal away her apparently very small attention. Yet when she spoke of you, it was about how she felt bad but appreciated your ignoring the situation as well. It seems your deciding to take the backseat is allowing others to step in and create a scene to make her pay attention.” Hideyoshi frowned deeply; did that mean...

“No, don’t tell me Puppy’s stupid plan is _working_?!” he groaned, but Mitsunari just sneered distastefully.

“Not exactly, though she does talk about that Neanderthal often enough. My point, though, is that I think that it’s time for you to make your stand and to put yourself directly in the forefront of her thoughts.” That didn’t sound like the worst idea to him. Gears in his brain started to turn. Something to make her pay attention, take him seriously...he could figure something out. He could win her over. 

“I think I’ve got an idea or two,” he hummed, a mischievous smile growing on his face. Now all he needed was for an opportunity to present itself.

Angel awoke with a start as both she and her former pillow jumped when they heard the sound of the front door being opened. What was- oh. Ohhh. Oh god. The sound of Hideyoshi and Mitsu coming home made it to where they were, both still naked and in Gen’s bed. Shit. She bolted up, scrambling for the end of the bed where she remembered Gen dumping her pants. Those on, she realized far too late that her shirt, bra, and bag were all still out in the living room. Her eyes flew to Gen, who already had his own pants back on and was digging in his closet. Something came flying towards her before she’d even asked, and Gen was suddenly next to her, tugging on a shirt of his own.

“What’s the plan?” he murmured, and Angel bit her lip. Well, she _did_ need to ask about staying...With a deep breath, she took the lead out of his room, Gen casually strolling out behind her. Hideyoshi and Mitsunari were both standing frozen in the living room, staring down at...oh fucking hell.

“Sorry, that’s-“ Angel rushed forward, scooping up the bra and shirt, and Gen’s shirt when she spotted it just beyond the others. Her bag, thank all her lucky stars, had fallen open where it lay by the couch, and it gave her an idea. “I was in a shit mood when I got here and I threw my bag. Didn’t realize it was open.”

“Why do you have a bag of laundry...?” Hideyoshi asked leadingly, sounding dazed and blushing faintly. Mitsunari, on the other hand, had his arms crossed and looked like her bra had tainted their entire home simply by existing there. Angel looked down at her hands stuffing the evidence into her bag, not wanting to see their reactions.

“Well,” she drew out the word, prolonging, but, “I sorta came over hoping I could ask to crash here for a while.” She couldn’t reasonably stall any longer and finally turned to face them. Gen was hiding it well but looked surprised, Hideyoshi seemed concerned, but Mitsunari...he was frowning suspiciously.

“Why would you need to stay in our home when you have your own perfectly good-“ he began sternly, but Hideyoshi interrupted.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, amber eyes focused on hers seriously. Her chest ached as all the events of the day swam through her head. She looked down when she felt the tears pooling in her eyes and shook her head slightly.

“Not really,” she squeaked in a tiny voice. “That professor I mentioned cornered me in his office today-“

“What?!” Hideyoshi exploded, interrupting her as his eyes blazed with fury. Behind him, Gen seemed equally as enraged.

“The heck?! Didn’t feel the need to start off with-“

“Shut up and let her talk,” Mitsunari snapped unexpectedly, and Gen fell silent, sullenly glaring at the blue-haired man. Angel pressed on, trying to keep her voice level.

“And after that, he followed me to my apartment. I was lucky I was walking with a friend who spotted him. So I just grabbed some clothes, abandoned ship, and got a ride over here. I really don’t want to go back...” 

“Of course you won’t,” Hideyoshi crooned, wrapping her up in a hug. It was perfectly platonic and comforting, and Angel felt her tears welling over as she hid her face against his chest. The stress and fear was finally catching up with her, and she could feel herself breaking down in his kind embrace.

“Sorry,” she sobbed weakly, “I just don’t know any other place to go and I know it will be an inconvenience but-“

“You’ll stay,” Mitsunari spoke in a harsh, firm voice that shocked her out of her tears. She peeked over Hideyoshi’s shoulder to find him looking angrier than she’d ever seen before, fists now clenched at his sides, “and we’ll figure out how to deal with that _filth._ ” Hideyoshi nodded above her, leaning back to meet her eyes.

“We can keep you safe. Leave it to us. Though...maybe we should think of a safe way to tell Puppy, hmm?” Hideyoshi’s smile was soft and warm and made Angel chuckle, wiping out the last of her tears.

“Agreed,” Gen sighed, and Angel began to giggle.

“You guys. I really appreciate you, so much.” She stepped back and out of Hideyoshi’s hold, moving towards the couch. “Hope it’s not too annoying to lose one of your couches,” she teased, but Hideyoshi stepped forward, easily relieving her of her bag.

“It won’t be,” he countered with a cheeky wink, “‘cause you’re staying in my room.” She saw the deep scowl turn the corners of Gen’s lips down before he wiped it to carefully neutral, but Mitsunari smirked at her.

“Wonderful. Genya already lays about on the couch enough, I don’t want people to start assuming we’re sheltering vagrants,” he said before he left, disappearing down the hall.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t, Hid-“ she began, but he turned and began playfully walking backwards towards the hall as well as if luring her towards him.

“Wouldn’t wanna upset Sayuri, so the Puppy’s kennel is off-limits,” he began, pointing at Inuchiyo’s door behind him. Then he jerked a thumb towards Mitsunari’s already-closed door. “And you heard Mitsu; no couch.” He then gestured towards Gen, and Angel turned as well to meet Gen’s flat expression with a beseeching look. “And just look at Genya; looks like he _needs_ the extra privacy. Nice hickies, by the way, man. I didn’t even notice them before.” He laughed hard at his own joke, luckily missing how Angel’s face went bright red at his comment. Gen studied her burning face for a second before sighing and forcing a smile.

“Hah, yeah, you got me,” he said halfheartedly, turning to head for his room. “Knock if we’re all gonna chill and drink later,” he ordered lazily before booting his door shut right in front of her. Slowly, she turned back to Hideyoshi, who’s laughter had stopped and was now standing, arms splayed as if showing himself off.

“That just leaves me,” he said cheerfully, and Angel knew she had no way out of it now, so she tried to offer a smile in return.

“Alright, lead the way,” she said, and he grinned before he did as she asked.

Sayuri drummed her fingers on the table she waited at. Toshiie had texted her, asking if she was free to meet. She was just leaving theatre practice on campus and had suggested the cafe, but now she was here before him and was nervous about why he wanted to meet up.

Best case, he was asking her to come out as his ‘girlfriend’ again. No, best case would be that he would run in and say the whole thing just made him realize he loved _Sayuri,_ only her, and would she please be with him for real, but she didn’t exactly think that was a feasible option. So, within the scope of reality, best case he would ask for her help again, and worst case, he’d...come in, thank her for a job well done, and then they’d never speak again. She groaned and checked her phone again.

“Hey Sayuri.” There he was, sliding into the chair on the other side of the table from her and she could have swooned. The tight white v-neck tee he was wearing only served to show off his incredibly cut physique. Broad shoulders, defined chest, biceps that had her drooling...she wished she could further appreciate how ripped her pretend boyfriend was, but he was smiling and waiting for a response, so she inwardly shook herself.

“Hey Toshiie!” she smiled brightly, letting some of her enthusiasm at seeing him again show on her face. “So how was last time? Did I do alright?” She wanted to kick herself; she hadn’t meant to jump right into talking about Angel, she’d meant to chat with him first. Toshiie just grinned, nodding quickly.

“Yeah! More than alright, actually...” he rubbed the back of his head, smile and laugh both growing uncomfortable. “I wanted to talk to you about a little more serious of an offer.” Sayuri’s heart leapt into her throat as butterflies went berserk in her stomach. _A more serious offer...?_

“Wh- yeah, of course! I mean...what did you have in mind?” Sayuri felt her face heat up as she realized how dumb she sounded. He hadn’t even said anything, she needed to get ahold of herself. He seemed pleased by her eagerness.

“It means a lot that you’re still willing to help,” he said, sounding relieved. “I was worried you’d like Angel more than me and not want to keep doing this.” Sayuri swallowed back her disappointment, trying to remind herself this was still the best _realistic_ option.

“I wouldn’t like anyone more than you,” she reassured him hastily, and only after seeing his expression shift to surprise did she realize what poor choice in words she’d had. “No! I just mean, obviously, you’re the one who I’m helping, you’re the priority.” Sayuri was mortified, blushing and trying to explain away her mistake. It _had_ been an accident; she hadn’t meant to say that _out loud._ His features relaxed quickly, though.

“Oh I get it. Well, that means a lot.” He looked at her, warm violet eyes melting her heart, and reached across the table to take her hand in his. Sayuri’s heart fluttered. His hands were so warm, and _big;_ they made hers look tiny and fragile in comparison. A few stray locks of his dark hair drifted into his eyes when he looked down, and her breathing caught. Was he...?

“Angel just means _so much_ to me,” he murmured. “I didn’t want her to think badly of me, and then it got out of hand...but if she knew I’d kinda been lying to her, or about all this, I could lose her as a friend, and then I don’t know _what_ I’d do.” He paused to laugh self-depreciatingly as Sayuri’s heart stuttered to a halt.

Of course. Angel. Right. She blinked, trying to put on her ‘stage’ face.

“Leave it to me,” she said with false bravado, “Just let me know when you guys want to get together next. I’m your girl.” She winced internally, kicking herself, but that slip seemed to go over Toshiie’s head. His answering smile was radiant, and it wounded her. Couldn’t he see how _wrong_ for him Angel was?

“You’re the best, Sayuri. I’m lucky we ended up meeting you.” She sighed wistfully as he withdrew his hands. Before she could re-gather her nerve to try to start a conversation with him, he was pushing away from the table, thanking her again and promising to text soon. She watched wide, muscular shoulders until he was out of sight, hand lowering from the small wave she’d given him and smile falling from her face. Toshiie was the sweetest, most gorgeous guy she knew, and here she was _pretending_ to be his girlfriend and unsure if that made her want to laugh or cry.

Angel was hanging out and laughing with Hideyoshi in his room when they heard Inuchiyo come home. After leading her in, Hideyoshi had been extremely generous in clearing out one of his dresser drawers for her to have and then made a big show of setting himself up a place to sleep on the floor. When she’d tried to insist he take the bed and she take the floor, he scoffed and teased her until she gave in and started wailing on him with pillows until they’d devolved into a juvenile display of pillow fighting. They were both in stitches when the front door abruptly silenced them. Hideyoshi was quick to offer his hand to help Angel to her feet.

“Let’s go tell the Puppy before he sniffs us out,” he joked, and Angel took his hand with a giggle at the mental image. Inuchiyo looked shocked when he saw them walk in together, but his expression quickly morphed into indignant outrage.

“What the hell is this?” he thundered, striding right towards them, still in the hall. “What were you just trying to do to her?” Disbelief froze Angel where she stood; this was all completely a misunderstanding. Inuchiyo had a _girlfriend,_ it shouldn’t matter what she was doing or with who...and even if he did, Hideyoshi was definitely the wrong target. But instead of immediately defending himself, Hideyoshi just grinned and shrugged.

“Getting her settled in. Angel’s gonna be staying here for a bit,” he answered, sounding completely unfazed. Inuchiyo, on the other hand, looked like he was about to have an aneurysm.

“In _your **room**_?” he thundered, and Angel found herself shrinking back from his tone. A mischievous smirk spread across Hideyoshi’s face as he goaded the enraged man before them.

“Well, _yeah,_ ” he replied, as if his answer should be obvious, “you want her to sleep on the floor?” With a furious shout, Inuchiyo was lunging forward, fist flying to connect solidly with Hideyoshi’s face and sending him to the ground.

“Inuchiyo, _stop_!” Angel shouted, trying to shove herself between them to keep them apart, but Toshiie was _so_ much stronger than her; with an easy sweep of his arm, he’d brushed her forcefully to the other side of the hall. Instead of her back colliding with the wall behind her, she rebounded off of something that caught her and kept her upright; Gen had opened his door to see what was going on. Ignoring all of this, Toshiie had drawn his fist back again to deliver another blow, and Hideyoshi’s head snapped to the side as Inuchiyo began pummeling him violently. “ _Stop him_!” Angel yelled frantically at Gen, who was holding her back from putting herself into danger again, but before he could make up his mind to release her or not, someone else came to her aid. 

“Get your paws off him, filthy mongrel,” Mitsunari spat as he exploded into the hallway, shoving Inuchiyo away from Hideyoshi. Toshiie fell back but immediately leapt to his feet again, ready to go.

“Are you kidding me?!” he shouted, entire body shaking with his unbridled fury. “Did you hear what he’s-“

“ _I’m_ the one who said she could first, you intolerable mutt. She’s having problems with her home.”

“She’s w- Angel?” Inuchiyo turned, looking stricken, to stare down at her. “What are they talking about?” Before she could respond, Gen spun her around, putting her behind his back and sneering up at Inuchiyo.

“Take a walk,” he commanded unflinchingly, though Toshiie seemed to tower over him and Hideyoshi was only just pushing himself to his elbows with a groan. “Don’t question her til you’ve taken some time to cool off.”

“Gen, it’s-“ Angel began, but Hideyoshi was quick to interrupt.

“Seconded,” he muttered, pinning Inuchiyo with a look, “you’re overreacting.”

“I’ll let the dog out,” Mitsunari growled threateningly, taking a step to push Toshiie’s paralyzed form into motion. His shocked and deeply concerned gaze did not waver from hers until Mitsunari managed to manhandle him past the threshold and closed the door.

“Hideyoshi, are you okay?” Angel gasped as soon as Inuchiyo was gone, moving around Genya to drop to her knees beside him. He did not look great. His nose and mouth were both bleeding and one of his eyes was ringed in angry red and swelling shut. He gave her a smile that quickly turned into a grimace when her fingers gently brushed his face.

“Yeah, just fine,” he cracked, but Angel didn’t find anything about this funny. She’d never seen Inuchiyo angry like that, and especially not at his closest friends.

“Don’t joke, it’s not funny. You knew you were riling him up,” she accused, and Hideyoshi muttered something about Inuchiyo needing to ‘accept reality’ before shrugging.

“What story are we going with?” He seemed to be looking at Gen and Mitsu rather than her, though, and she frowned.

“Roommate?” Gen offered, and Mitsunari nodded. 

“Roommate,” Hideyoshi confirmed, and then got to his feet, using the wall for support. “Anyone else feel like a drink?” 

Well, that...could have gone better. Coulda been worse, though. Angel was fussing over him like he was in a hospital, so that was a plus. And she’d be staying in his room tonight. They’d all gone out to the living room, where Angel had pushed him into a seat and started worrying over his face while Mitsu and Gen headed for the kitchen. Mitsunari returned with their case of beer, while Gen slunk back in with a glass that he set in front of Angel wordlessly before drifting to his usual spot. Hmm, that was...huh. Come to think of it, he’d never seen Angel drinking beer with them; maybe the layabout was on to something. Damn, he needed to remember that the Puppy wasn’t his only competition when it came to her.

The four of them hung out, but it wasn’t long until Toshiie returned, looking properly ashamed when he walked back in. He went straight for Angel, who was sitting next to him, and took her other side.

“So what’s going on?” he demanded instantly, but Angel turned to level him with a severe look.

“Can you listen without jumping on anyone _else_ who’s just trying to be nice to me?” she retorted, and Hideyoshi couldn’t resist throwing a self-satisfied smirk over her head at Toshiie. Not so tough now, was he? He scowled, but bit his tongue and just nodded at her. Angel huffed delicately; it was just so _cute_ watching her give him shit like that.

“She’s having trouble with her roommate and asked if she could stay here,” Mitsunari drawled, seeming bored by all of them. “We already told her she could.”

“Of course!” Toshiie snapped, and then looked back at Angel and repeated it in a much softer tone, “Of course you can stay here. Take my room.” Angel rolled her eyes and sighed, so Hideyoshi jumped into the conversation eagerly.

“How would sweet Sayuri feel?” he asked far too cheerfully, and the glare Toshiie threw at him could have crushed a weaker spirit. “Don’t worry, Puppy, it’s already decided.”

Toshiie hummed noncommittally and grabbed himself a beer, choosing to drink rather than get himself into more trouble. Smart Puppy. Maybe he could learn after all. He didn’t want Angel worrying about Toshiie anymore, though; time for something else.

“So who’s the mystery girl, Gen?” he called, and all eyes flew to where the silver-haired man was sprawled on the couch, eyes closed like he was napping.

“None of your business,” Genya shot back, not moving in the slightest. Angel was blushing beside him, probably embarrassed by the implications of what Gen had so obviously been doing, but making her a little uncomfortable was fun. As was getting her mind off the man sitting opposite him.

“Oh come on, you can’t keep us in the dark like this,” he scoffed, then took a huge swig of his drink. “Did you have someone over while we were all out at the bar last night?” Gen remained quiet, but Hideyoshi’s sharp eyes caught his lips pressing into a firm line. Ooh, now he was getting somewhere.

“What are you going on about?” Toshiie chimed in with a sharp look towards the lazy stoner, and Hideyoshi happily filled him in over Angel, who was now covering her face.

“Oh, Puppy! Our Gen came home covered in hickies, the scoundrel.” It hit him then, and his eyes lit with a mischievous gleam. “Oh! Except you must have had her _here,_ because Mitsu said you didn’t leave. You know, don’t you?” he fired at Mitsunari eagerly. If the man knew, surely he’d share the gossip with Hideyoshi. His eyes flew to Mitsu excitedly.

The blue-haired man was smirking widely at Genya’s prone form on the other side of his couch. Oh yeah, he definitely knew. Even Angel was looking over to Mitsu, eyes wide.

“I do,” he answered smugly, and Hideyoshi saw Gen twitch. He and Mitsu were sharks, circling, and they could smell blood in the water. Inuchiyo was watching the back and forth like it was a sporting event and the conversation was the ball.

“Do tell us, won’t you?” he asked sweetly, batting his eyes, and Mitsu opened his mouth, leaning forward, but-

“Don’t,” Gen snarled, and he was out of his seat and on his feet before Hideyoshi could blink, standing in front of Mitsu threateningly. “ _Don’t,_ ” he growled again, then turned abruptly and stalked out, slamming his bedroom door shut behind him.

“What was _that_?” Toshiie asked lowly, but everyone else seemed too shocked to do much of anything.

“I didn’t even know it was _possible_ to piss him off that much,” Hideyoshi finally laughed, and the tension seemed to ease. He looked back at Mitsunari, just _dying_ to know what had set Gen off so bad, but Mitsu only smirked.

“Maybe next time,” he said ruefully, getting to his feet, “we’ve had enough brawling for one evening, haven’t we?” He too departed, sweeping hurriedly from the room before he could be interrogated further, and Hideyoshi slumped back and pouted at Angel.

“They’re ruining all my fun,” he grumbled, and she laughed.

“You just keep starting shit tonight, don’t you?” Toshiie asked with a pointed look, and Hideyoshi held up his hands in surrender.

“Alright, sheesh, maybe it was just _one too many hits to the head,_ ” he fired back with a sharp look of his own, “but I’m feeling pretty... _beat._ ” Angel groaned loudly and shoved at him while Toshiie chuckled darkly.

“Yeah, well don’t forget that feeling while you’re sharing that room. Be a gentleman; our walls are thin.” With that last menacing, thinly-veiled threat, he got up with a huge stretch before offering Angel his hand to help her up. “Come get me if you need anything, okay?”

“She’ll be fine,” Hideyoshi butted in, getting up as well and slinging an arm around Angel’s shoulders. “She’ll have me right there with her, after all.” He saw Toshiie’s hands clench into fists.

“ _Very_ thin walls,” he stressed. “Goodnight, Angel.” Then Toshiie stomped his way down the hall, leaving just the two of them. 

“Shall we?” he teased, and Angel went red again.

“Uhh...yeah, I guess,” she muttered, and let herself be guided to his room by the arm he still had around her. Hideyoshi’s thoughts drifted to the idea of saying those words to her with _real_ intent behind them and he let out a heavy sigh, turning them into his doorway.

“Ohh, are you okay? Does your face hurt?” Hideyoshi made sure to push the door closed behind him, leaning against it heavily and enjoying how close she was as she got up on her toes in front of him to assess his injuries. Her drink had made her breath smell like vodka and cherries and it made him want to taste it on her lips.

“Ah, yeah, it’s fine. Don’t worry about me.” He gave a smile, leaning towards her just enough that it put them almost nose to nose and forced her to realize their proximity. “Although, since you are _right here_ and all...can we talk about something?” Angel practically tripped over herself backing up, and that stung a little.

“Ah- Um, talk about what?” she asked nervously, backing up and glancing down at the bed and then back at him uncomfortably. Hideyoshi was sure she was looking for any less intimate seating but the idea of _her_ and _his bed_...was taking his mind to places he didn’t want it to be right now. He sat on the edge of the mattress, patting the spot next to him, and waited until she took it before giving her a bright look.

“About how I like you.” There; it was out there now, and she couldn’t very well leave him on ‘read’ here. Her brain seemed to slowly be coming to the same conclusion, and he saw her eyes growing wide.

“A-Ah, um....Hideyoshi, I-“ Angel stammered, seeming lost for words, and Hideyoshi collapsed down onto the bed with a sigh. After a few seconds, she peeked into view, looking concerned. Before she could say anything, he met her gaze and gave her a small half-smile. 

“It’s because you love _him_?” Angel blushed and glanced away, stammering out denials. “Then you and I are in the same boat, aren’t we?” That halted her, and she quietly gave him a shrewd look. Hideyoshi closed his eyes and let his head fall back, continuing without looking at her. “We’re both just trying to give our feelings to someone who’s too busy chasing after someone else to give us a chance.” He kept his eyes closed, and he waited. He could be patient, but Angel...

“Hideyoshi, I- it’s not like-“ her words cut off, and he felt a delicate touch to his shoulder. “There’s just been so much...” Her voice faded, and Hideyoshi opened his eyes. This was his opportunity, and if he didn’t take it, he knew he’d regret it later. He stared up at her, soft hair falling around her face as she looked down at him, eyes shining with indecision. 

“Be honest,” he ordered, suddenly shifting to prop himself up on his elbow. “Are we friends?” 

“Yes, of course.” Her reply was swift and confident, completely sure. Good start. 

“You know that if you ever called me for some emergency, I’d be there for you, right? That you can rely on me?” Again, she was quick to agree.

“I know that.” She was nodding, but she still looked wary, ready for him to spring his trap. “I can say all the same things for all of you guys, though. Even Mitsu, and I’m pretty sure he hates me.” That made Hideyoshi chuckle, which in turn forced a hesitant smile to her lips. But...he quickly put on a serious expression.

“I don’t want you thinking about any of them. Not right now. Only me. Do you like being around me, spending time with me?” Angel bit her lip and nodded. “Would you miss me if I were gone?” Angel frowned.

“Why are you asking me all these things?” she questioned him instead of answering, and Hideyoshi sat up again, leaning towards her with his intensity.

“Because I’m tired of sitting on the bench, just waiting for you to notice me. I don’t want to let my chance go by, see you end up with-“ he stopped himself before he said it; he didn’t want to think about anyone else, right now, either. “I want you to give me a chance, Angel. Please.”

She looked shocked, astounded he would do something like this, he supposed, but he really _was_ tired of waiting quietly. When she leaned back to put some space between them, lips parted as if to speak but with no words passing them, his expression grew pleading.

“I could make you happy, Angel, more than...anyone else. I’d do anything for you, you know? Or,” he shifted gears quickly, in case it was his seriousness that made her hesitate, “you could just give me _one_ date. Maybe more, every once in a while. Just try me out, let me show you how nice it could be to have someone put you _first, always,_ because...you already have me.” Angel finally found her voice after several agonizing seconds, seeming to scramble to give him something.

“There’s just...all this stuff with my professor, and with...friends-“ the last word was strained, and her expression was torn. She wasn’t saying ‘no’, though. Maybe he was swaying her. Maybe he needed a new angle.

“All the more reason it’d be nice to have a boyfriend, even a casual boyfriend, you could use to protect you.” Angel got to her feet, looking upset. 

“I just don’t know if- what if it doesn’t work out? What about Inuchiyo? I couldn’t stand it if I lost all you guys, if you two couldn’t be friends-“ Hideyoshi was on his feet, moving towards her so fast it made her back up from him, right into the wall. 

“Think about him some other time,” he said forcefully when he had stopped just in front of her. “I like you. I think you like me, at least a little. Don’t you?” He gave her a wounded look, wishing she could _understand,_ that she just wanted him the same way he wanted her; clear as day, easy as breathing... He extended a hand to the side of her head, bracing himself against the wall behind her, and stepped even closer. She was pressed back, trapped between his body and the wall, looking up at him with those huge eyes. God, she was so beautiful. 

“I- I- I _do,_ but-“ Hideyoshi took one more step forward, and her body was fitted snugly against his from chest to thigh, head tilted back to maintain their gaze, perfect lips just barely parted...

“Don’t finish,” he commanded, bringing his other hand up to gently hold her chin angled towards him and prevent her from looking away. “That’s all I wanted to hear. No matter what else you could say, it wouldn’t stop me from doing this.” Then he leaned down, closing the distance between his lips and where he kept her chin tilted up towards him, and he kissed her with every bit of the desire he felt for her. 

Her lips, he decided, had been made for him to kiss. They were plush; the give of them beneath his own as he moved with purpose was extremely satisfying. He sucked on her lower lip, then let his tongue tease and trace the curve of it. She was sweet, so sweet, and he wanted _more._ She was still beneath him, though, so with a sigh he brushed their lips together gently once more before drawing away.

“No...?” he asked, easing back just enough to look at her reaction. She was so damn _cute;_ her expression was stunned, doe eyes staring up at him, lips quivering like she was forming words which would not come. His heart fell, aching from the pain of his defeat. He went to pull away, but her hand fluttered to his chest to stop him just as her voice finally squeaked out.

“M-maybe we could...just _once_ or-mnh...” He didn’t let her say anything else; he dove down to capture her lips again, his victory hammered through his veins, and he very eagerly claimed his prize. This time he was not as careful. When their lips met, his were demanding, insistent, and hers quickly opened for him; another victory. He swept his tongue past them and plundered the cavern of her mouth. His movements were skillful, stroking against her in ways that drew dainty little moans from her, moans that sent heat coursing through him. He wanted her desperately...He needed to stop this, if he was looking for something meaningful with her. 

Hideyoshi broke their kiss, but could not bring himself to allow his lips to leave Angel yet; they trailed down the graceful column of her throat as she gasped for air.

“Thank you, Angel,” he murmured against her racing pulse, leaving a final kiss there before stepping back entirely and reluctantly separating from her. “I’ll take you on that date whenever you’ll let me.”

“I’ll...let you know,” she said with a breathless laugh. Hideyoshi smiled, _really_ smiled, letting all his joy pour out. _He_ had won Angel. Well...not exactly, but he’d scored a date, and that was something. “Are you free sometime this week?” She chuckled at his broad grin and the two of them got ready for bed without another word about it.

Hideyoshi didn’t want her think he was going to allow tonight to go ignored, though. Just after they’d turned off the light as he was laying down on his spot on the floor and she was climbing into his bed, he whispered to her.

“Psst. Hey Angel?” he called out in the dark.

“Yeah?” she whispered back.

“I’m free on Thursday,” he announced playfully, and she huffed before chuckling.

“We’ll see how it goes,” she hummed quietly, “goodnight, Hideyoshi.”

“Goodnight,” he whispered back, and silence fell between them. It didn’t stay that way for long; after just a few moments of quiet, his hushed voice drifted through the room again.

“Hey, you still awake?” he whispered again lowly, and a slow, quiet laugh rang out.

“Sure, what is it?” He grinned; this was like sleepovers as a kid, and he could tell she found it at least a _little_ endearing. 

“I’m free Tuesday, too.” Stifled giggles sounded from his bed, and he felt his heart swell. They stopped, and then she whispered back, trying to sound stern.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Now go to sleep,” she ordered, but her hushed voice and soft tone just made her sound like a grumpy kitten. Hideyoshi pressed a fist against his mouth, waiting until his humor had passed and silence had filled the room once more, and then-

“Angel?” he murmured, fighting to keep his neutral voice in place. There was a rustling of sheets from the bed, and then he saw her shadowy form peek over the edge of bed with what little moonlight cut through the dark.

“Are you going to give me more of your schedule?” she hissed, sounding ruffled but playful. Hideyoshi was confident in his ability to push her buttons without _actually_ making her angry, he did it almost daily after all.

“Nope,” he whispered solemnly. She was smarter than that, though.

“Are you planning on going until you go through every day of the week?” she asked, quiet words tinged with suspicion.

“Absolutely not!” he said. It was difficult to sound affronted while whispering and trying not to let loose a roar of laughter at her puzzlement at what she surely knew was a ruse.

“Alright then, what?” she asked, and it was all he could do to hold back his mirth to whisper back innocently.

“What are you doing tomorrow night?” One of his own pillows flew through the darkness to hit him in the face, and though she rolled over and pretended to ignore him, Hideyoshi could still make out the tiniest of giggles drifting down from the bed above him. Pleased with himself, he rolled over, and the two of them remained quiet after that.


	8. Chapter 8

Gen woke up the next morning feeling bleary and exhausted. He hadn’t gotten much sleep; his anger at Mitsunari and Hideyoshi as well as his thoughts about Angel sleeping with the brunette had kept him awake. He’d reminded himself that what he was doing with Angel was supposed to be no-strings-attached fun, that she wasn’t even really _sleeping_ with him, that she was completely free to do whatever she wanted with whoever she wanted. Yet that didn’t really ease the sharp paint that lanced through him every time he shut his eyes and pictured _her,_ naked and glorious and moaning, but in _Hideyoshi’s_ bed instead. A primal urge to fight for her kept rising in him, but Gen was quick to crush it every time. That wasn’t the way to win his girl over.

He staggered out of his room and into the kitchen just a few moments later, intent on making himself a cup of coffee, but froze in the doorway immediately cursing himself for being a dumbass. Because of _course_ she would be there, bright eyed and bushy tailed like she’d been up for ages, leaning against the counter and laughing with Hideyoshi. The stupid idiot was piling whipped cream so high in his cup of coffee that it looked like it would topple over at any second. This was already way too much, way too early.

He was doubly cursed, though, because as he turned around with the new goal of getting out of there and finding an energy drink at a gas station somewhere far away, Angel spotted him.

“Hey! Good morning, Gen!” she called out to him, the irresistible siren’s call of her voice dragging him back, “Don’t mind us, we’re just being dumb.” She grinned at him, so full of life and light, and he felt ashamed for even imagining holding her back from anything she desired.

“Uh, I think you mean _fun,_ not dumb,” Hideyoshi corrected, reaching over to dot the tip of her nose with a fingertip of whipped cream. Inside, Gen raged, but he just nodded and smiled at both of them before drifting towards the coffee maker. Hopefully, they would take his silence as just waking up.

Angel was giggling again, and from the corner of his eye, Gen watched Hideyoshi gallantly offer her a spoon and gesture towards their ‘drink.’ She took it with a bow of her head, and Genya busied himself with pouring the now-brewed beverage. Task complete, he was about to escape back to his room when he heard the sound of another door opening from the hallway and decided to stick around to see who it was. With his mood this morning, he wouldn’t mind watching Toshiie go for round two with Hideyoshi, and he’d need to be around to look after Angel, anyway.

Within seconds, the man himself walked into the kitchen and paused upon seeing Angel and Hideyoshi like Gen had. His lips drew into a thin, downward-curving line, but Toshiie walked past and went for where he kept the stuff to make his weird protein drinks.

“Morning Inuchiyo!” she chirped with easy familiarity, and he grumbled indistinctly in return but continued making his drink. He seemed about as happy with their ‘bonding’ as Genya was. Hideyoshi took a spoonful of whipped cream for himself and turned to Angel thoughtfully.

“So what are we gonna do today?” he asked, winking at her, “Anything you want.”

“Don’t you two have class to get to?” Toshiie butted in, moving to the sink to fill his cup. He missed it, but Gen was watching the pair of them closely; Hideyoshi smirked and opened his mouth to answer, but Angel quickly stepped on his foot with a glare.

“I’m skipping today,” she huffed, eyes still on the smarmy monkey beaming at her, “gonna try to get in to see my academic advisor.” Hideyoshi frowned at that, and Gen sipped his coffee to hide his smirk.

“Ah, well, maybe later,” Hideyoshi responded unabashedly. “Guess I _will_ go get ready for class.” 

“Well hurry up if you’re coming with me, we’re starting morning team practices,” Toshiie told him with an exasperated sigh. They both headed out of the kitchen and Gen found himself unexpectedly alone in the kitchen with Angel. He thought she might go after them, would perhaps go get ready or even go with them to campus, but...she leaned forward, resting her elbow on the surface in from of her, and then locked eyes with Gen before slowly, lazily, licking the cream from her spoon.

“You know, Mitsu was leaving when we got up this morning,” she commented offhandedly. An innocuous statement, completely inconsequential...except in the way that her eyes sparkled and gleamed with the playful suggestion she was hinting at. Gen knew what was up even without the way her dainty little tongue lapped at the spoon, tracing the edges for leftover bits, wrapping around the curve, stroking up to- Gen took a deep swig of his still-too-hot coffee, letting it burn him in an attempt to distract from how tight his pants and chest both suddenly seemed to be.

“Interesting,” he finally murmured back casually, lounging back against a counter. She put her spoon down and licked her lips.

“You have class today, Gen?” she asked innocently, and he smirked.

“I stopped going weeks ago, gorgeous,” he informed her, taking another sip of his coffee as the predatory look in her eyes almost brought him to his knees.

“Nice hustle out there, boys,” coach Katsuie shouted out across the bustling locker room after their practice that morning. The team was all dressing down, showering, or talking loudly with one another, but at the coach’s voice, everyone slowly stilled and went quiet. “I’m gonna need to see a lot more teamwork as we start getting ready for some real games, so I want you guys to start really getting to know one another, spend some time with your teammates outside of practice, alright? Even you, Nobuyuki!” His blast was met with laughter that rang around the room, counterpointed by Nobuyuki yelling out.

“Hey, I’m plenty social, just not with _these_ guys!” Another round of laughter resounded, and Yukimura sighed, elbowing Toshiie at his side.

“He’s not kidding there,” he joked, and Toshiie snorted at that. Yukimura was Nobuyuki’s younger brother, though he was far more gifted than his older sibling on the field. Coach shouted at them all again to simmer down, though.

“Yeah, yeah, but that’s what I mean! Go spend some time together. Just don’t ever say I told you to all throw a party together or somethin’, that would be irrelevant,” he winked, and the team cheered and clapped. “Alright, get cleaned up and get to class or work or wherever, boys. I’ll see you all on the field tomorrow.” Then he left and the usual commotion resumed.

“Ah damn,” Inuchiyo muttered; he’d just realized, in his rush to pack his bag this morning, he’d forgotten to pack his pants. He _could_ go through the day in his sweats, but...they were gross. And he had time. He turned to Yukimura, who’d just started in about one of their plays. “Hey man sorry, I gotta run by my place.”

“No, it’s cool,” he said with an easy smile before suddenly perking up. “Oh! Or I could tag along with you, if you don’t mind,” he tacked on, throwing his gear into his own bag. Toshiie shrugged.

“I’m just going there and back, but yeah, I don’t mind. Come on.” He shouldered his bag and let Yukimura follow him out to his car in the nearby lot. The kid could _talk,_ so Toshiie let him, remaining silent for most of the trip back to his house. At least until they pushed the front door open.

“Wait, shut up,” he whispered, putting up a quick hand to stop Yukimura behind him in the entry way, and the other man fell silent at his order. He’d thought he’d heard something...

A loud groan echoed through the house, coming from the back where the bedrooms were. But...wasn’t everyone supposed to be out? They usually were...unless...maybe this was that ‘mystery girl’ thing they’d been talking about last night? Maybe Gen was home and taking advantage everyone being out...?

“Ah, sorry Yukimura, I guess my roommate-“ Then a cry of ‘Gen!’ rang through the house, clear and sharp as glass as it cut through the air and his heart despite the distance. He’d know that voice anywhere. _That was Angel._ His frantic eyes fell on Yukimura, whose expression had gone blank and face was slowly turning a bright shade of red. Horror and rage warred in his gut. 

“Hey man are you okay?”

He could think of nothing at all except for how he was going to _kill the bastard_ who dared-!

“Dude, Maeda? What- oh my god is that your girl?!”

He growled, head jerking up and down in an automatic answer to a question he didn’t hear. That scrawny, lazy _loser_ was toast. He’d rip him limb from limb in front of her so she’d realize that he would destroy anyone who even _thought_ of-

“W-Wait, what are you...no! Toshiie, no!” Hands were on him suddenly, pulling him back, bringing him back to awareness. He shrugged Yukimura off hard and was halfway through the living room before Sanada grabbed him again. “You can’t just... _go in there,_ while they’re-“

“I’m going to kill him. Help or watch,” Toshiie snapped, eyes blazing and struggling to get out of Yukimura’s hold. Inuchiyo couldn’t quite shake him, but did manage to drag him all the way to the hallway, all while Yukimura hissed desperate pleas for reason.

“Assault. Jail. No football. _Coach._ ” He was keeping his voice low, clearly trying to prevent the couple in the room from noticing they were there. Yukimura had a shoulder in his stomach and arms around his torso, trying to shove him back towards the front door in something similar to a football hold. “I’ll loan you some pants-!”

“No _you_ listen,” he said, voice firm, “I don’t really know you well enough to talk about emotions and feelings and all, but _nothing_ is going to stop me from-!” As he’d been speaking, he’d pulled Yukimura a few more feet into the hall before finally checking him back, pushing with hands on both of the smaller man’s shoulders to push him back against the wall.

Or...that was the intention at least. Three things had been noticed too late to stop the coming events. The first mistake was his assumption that the push would make Yukimura’s hold falter. He should have known better- that kid was unstoppable on the field- but rather than letting go, he kept his grip tight, dragging Inuchiyo back against the wall with him. That was where the second and third mistakes came in. Toshiie had drug Yukimura far enough down the hall that instead of pushing Yukimura and inadvertently himself into a wall, it had been against Genya’s door. That, the second mistake, had been his own doing; the third was the fault of Angel, who hadn’t pushed the door closed behind her hard enough for the latch to catch.

Toshiie and Yukimura looked up from the doorway and into the shocked faces of the fully clothed Angel and Genya, who were sitting next to each other on Gen’s bed in front of a game of Mario Kart. Angel’s mouth was actually _hanging open,_ and he watched her emotions -shock, confusion, understanding, horror, anger, pain- flit across her face. Gen’s eyes were completely round, and as he watched, the piece of pizza hanging from Gen’s mouth broke and fell to the floor with a wet sound. No one moved. Toshiie looked down.

He had fallen on Sanada, hands braced on either side of his shoulders and knees on either side of his waist. Yukimura’s arms were still around him, but in their fall they’d slipped down to his waist. Yukimura was blushing scarlet and looking up at him, terrified and shocked and- ohhhh no. No, this was not happening. 

“I’d, uh...ask if we were interrupting, but you guys got the wrong room,” Gen said, voice strained with the effort of keeping it relaxed and neutral. Angel still hadn’t moved in the slightest. Toshiie rolled away from Yukimura and leapt to his feet, leaving the man blushing and stammering on the floor. 

“No, oh god this is _not_ what it looks like...” Toshiie tried to explain, but that was when Angel finally came to her senses. 

“Inuchiyo, we could _hear you,_ you idiot. Just before you tackled him into the room.” She was glaring at him, and he thought back to what they were saying. Yukimura had had the foresight to keep his voice down, but Inuchiyo hadn’t been quiet when he’d...ohh. This could not be going worse. Before he could try to explain again, or get Yukimura to _help_ him here, she was on her feet. “We just got things patched up so I’m not gonna tell you how...disappointed I am. I’m just gonna go.” She turned to look back at Gen. “Thanks, Gen, I’ll see you later.” Then she stomped out, pausing only to awkwardly step over Yukimura in the doorway before she swiftly exited their home. Toshiie’s heart grew heavier with every step she took away from them.

“Should I go, too?” Gen snickered, and Yukimura _finally_ got his ass in gear.

“N-No!” he practically shouted, staggering to his feet. “We weren’t- it’s not- I-“ Gen smirked widely, and Toshiie growled; he was _not_ in the mood.

“He _knows,_ ” he sighed to the still-frantic Yukimura, who slowly fell silent. Gen’s smirk grew before he turned back to the screen.

“However will your pretend girlfriend feel?” Oh how he wanted to deck Gen, but yet again the silver-haired man seemed to have avoided the beating he deserved. For now. Toshiie turned and stomped out of the room, grabbing Yukimura and dragging him out as well.

“Wait, so...that wasn’t your girlfriend?” Yukimura asked in total confusion once they were in the hall, and Genya’s laughter floated out to grate on Toshiie’s very last nerve.

Angel got to the advising office even quicker than she’d meant to thanks to her feet moving on autopilot as her head spun. What the hell was Inuchiyo even _doing_ with his life? It kinda hurt that if he was gonna cheat on Sayuri, he’d pick some random guy rather than...a _closer_ friend. She needed to stop thinking about it. It wasn’t her business, it shouldn’t be-

“Hey, doll. Need any help?” Angel looked up to find someone grinning back at her. Her feet had carried her right into the office for the advisors, and a friendly looking guy behind the desk with dark, tousled hair and warm brown eyes was greeting her.

“Um, yeah, yes please,” Angel answered with a soft smile of her own as she approached his desk; he had such a calm, cheerful disposition, her unease and previous bad mood diminished immediately. “I need to speak to an advisor...?”

“Sure thing,” he answered, smile not fading even as his gaze shifted to his computer. “What’s it about?” Angel felt her heart sink. How would she do this? She didn’t really want to tell anyone about Juami...

“Maybe...scheduling?” Her voice came out tiny and pathetic, and she felt even worse. What if Juami found out she had come here, trying to escape him? But what other option did she have? She looked down at the floor, hoping this poor guy didn’t notice she was going to pieces right there in the middle of his quiet, brightly lit office space.

“Hey, doll...should we go somewhere to talk?” His soft voice was suddenly coming from right beside her; she hadn’t even noticed him come out from behind the desk. Wonderful, now he was going to think she was some sort of crazy person and who was going to take her seriously about moving classes after just bursting into tears in their lobby? She just needed to-

“Yo Kojuro!” he suddenly called towards a hallway in the back, “Clear out of your office for a minute, alright?” The receptionist put an arm around Angel, guiding her with the barest shadow of a touch towards the hallway. Angel allowed herself to be steered towards a room at the end of the hall, out of which a man with straight brown hair stuck his head with a stern look.

“I’ve told you a hundred times to-“ The man stopped speaking as soon as he saw Angel. Quickly, he pushed the door wide, inviting them to come in. The receptionist guided her in, stepping back once she’d taken a seat in a chair in front of the desk. He leaned over to whisper something into the ear of the man he’d called ‘Kojuro,’ and then stepped back to give Angel a kind smile.

“Would you like us to give you a minute, or,” he hesitated, eyes darting towards Kojuro, “is this about whatever you came to meet with an advisor about?” Angel sniffed and looked up into two pairs of caring, concerned eyes; if she was going to tell anyone what was really going on, something in her gut told her that she could not have found a better audience. Before she could make up her mind as to how to answer, Kojuro turned to the receptionist.

“I’ll take it from here, Shigezane. Why don’t you head back out to the lobby.” Shigezane looked like he was about to argue, but Kojuro swiftly shooed him out and closed the door behind him. Then he turned around to give Angel a gentle, non threatening smile.

“I’m Doctor Kojuro Katakura, head of the advising and degree counseling department, but please just call me Kojuro. Do you mind if I take a seat?” He indicated his own desk chair, and Angel gave a start at being asked.

“O-of course,” she answered, confused, but Kojuro just nodded pleasantly and went to sit. He shifted his chair to face her, steepling long fingers together absently in front of himself.

“I’d be more than happy to help you in any way I can,” he said, but it was leading, almost like a question. Angel took a deep, grounding breath.

“I’m trying to see if I can get out of my Art History course,” she began, hesitant about giving too much information despite deciding she could. A slight frown creased Kojuro’s forehead as he turned to his computer. 

“Well...let me take a look at your schedule,” he murmured, getting her name and student ID number and typing them in before studying his monitor. The longer he stared, the deeper his frown grew and the more hopeless Angel felt. “It’s required for almost every major, and it doesn’t seem to be a problem with grades...would it help if I just removed it from your schedule and you tried again a different semester?” Angel bit her lip, looking down. _No,_ that wouldn’t help unless...

“Are there any different times I could move my class to? Maybe a different professor?” she asked, voice timid and heart heavy. If that wasn’t an option, what else was there? Kojuro shook his head slowly, but finally looked back over to her, gaze sharp.

“I’m afraid not for that particular class...can I ask what brought you to look for help?” His question and tone were unassuming, but his eyes seemed as if they had already seen her secret and he was simply waiting for her to confirm it. He was attractive, she noticed, and young; clearly older than her but not by as much as most of the faculty around campus, and it made her feel even worse about admitting the truth. How could she complain about Juami’s actions to this man? She couldn’t hold his gaze and let her head drop again quickly.

“I- I-“ To Angel’s further shame, she just couldn’t get the words to come. She stammered, but her voice was thick with held-back emotion, and she kept her eyes fixed on the floor, wishing she hadn’t come at all.

“Angel?” Kojuro called to her softly, voice compelling her eyes to return to him. When they did, they were met with endless, deep reservoirs of compassion and comfort. She felt suddenly blanketed and secure under his stare, and her mouth opened, unbidden.

“I can’t go back to that class,” she whispered without looking away. He hesitated, and again his eyes told her he somehow already knew her secret. With a deep sigh, he looked back down at his computer, and Angel saw the spark of an idea flare on his expression before he turned fully towards the device. 

“Hmm...what degree are you pursuing, Angel? What department?” He was already typing something on his computer, but Angel assumed he still wanted an answer.

“Business management, with culinary electives mostly. I’d like to own a restaurant,” her quiet answer came with the shadow of a smile; Angel was proud of her dream to run a restaurant like her parents had. A sudden smile played across the man’s lips. 

“Fantastic, and that makes your department chair Kanetsugu...if I can get you a credit substitute, would you take it? I think Dr. Naoe might be amenable to an arrangement with me...I could give you the same job as Shigezane out front, as an aide. That position is usually used for credits by older students within the department, but we might be able to work something out.” Angel was silent, completely dumbstruck, for a long moment. It...was as easy as that? He could just...take care of it? He was willing to take the matter as his own responsibility? Her mouth finally fell open and her words came pouring out.

“Oh! Could you really?! I would appreciate that opportunity _so_ much, you have no idea...” her words finally trailed off when Kojuro chuckled, holding up a hand to stop her.

“Now, hold on there, I’ll still need to get approval, but in the meantime,” Kojuro’s smile faltered and his eyes filled with barely-contained rage, “do not return to class. I will make sure the absence has no impact upon you whatsoever.” Angel could hardly believe what the man was saying.

“Of course! Thank you _so much_!” She felt like she was about to cry again. Perhaps Kojuro sensed this, because he smiled again and stood. 

“Angel, I’m glad to have the chance to hopefully get this resolved for you. Is the phone number in your contact information correct? I’ll get in touch with you when I have a definitive answer for you.” After thanking him again, Angel let herself be escorted out, feeling much lighter on her way back to the house than she had leaving it.

After he’d ushered the girl out, Kojuro stood in the lobby of the office, internally shaking with rage. After a minute, Shigezane sidled up to him, and they both just stared at the door out of which Angel had just left.

“Shigezane, set up a meeting with Kenshin, and then Shingen at least three hours after that. Give them time to talk in between. I’m going to go call Kanetsugu right now.” Kojuro couldn’t believe this, and he _wouldn’t_ stand for it, not now that he had a chance...

“Did she have the same ‘scheduling problem’ as those girls last year, then?” Shigezane asked him morosely, and Kojuro gritted his teeth.

“I have reason to believe so. And since it’s come across _my_ desk this time, they can’t tell me I’m sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong.” He saw a smile grow on Shigezane’s face, but he couldn’t manage one himself.

“Cheer up, Kojuro,” Shigezane said, elbowing him playfully. “Kenshin will agree, and even though they act like they hate each other, you know he’ll get Shingen on our side.” He patted Kojuro’s shoulder and left him, heading for his desk presumably to do his assigned tasks. He shared one last thought before leaving, but it was exactly what was troubling Kojuro; “After all, we only need five.”

Sakuya was nearly beside himself with worry. Angel didn’t show up before class as she usually did, but he had assumed that would be the case, so he wasn’t too upset by that. But now the class was being dismissed from lecture, and Angel still hadn’t made an appearance. Was she okay? Had Juami found her? He pulled out his phone, but was hesitant to reach out and expose his concern for her. Would that be improper? He supposed not; after all, the last time they were together, he’d been at her home and in her room. Surely if she was comfortable enough to have him seated on her bed, she’d be okay with a simple call. It wouldn’t be that strange for friends to be concerned about one another. He struggled with himself, leaving class and heading for his car, but the further he got from the building, the more his concern outweighed his desire to maintain their status quo. When he slid into his vehicle, he finally sighed and hit the button to dial.

“Hey!” Her warm voice greeted him, full of laughter, and the knot in his chest eased slightly. She sounded alright. “I’m so sorry, I forgot to tell you! Hang on one second,” her voice was suddenly distant, but he could hear her well enough, talking to someone else. “Is it cool if I have someone come over? It’ll- what?! Ohh...Hah hah Hideyoshi, very funny.” Sakuya could hear joy in her voice despite the sarcasm; she was clearly very comfortable with whoever it was. Then her voice was back, warm and just for him. “If you don’t have anything else to do tonight, wanna come hang out with us? I can tell you everything.”

Saku hesitated. He knew Genya lived there. They hadn’t spoken in years; with good reason, he reminded himself firmly. Yet...the deep yearning to at least _see_ her tugged at him, emboldened him. Hopefully he could at least rely on his worthless brother to keep his mouth shut.

“Sure, alright,” he agreed softly. “When would be convenient for me to come?” 

“Whenever is fine! A few of us are here already but the rest will be showing up in like an hour or two, so whatever works for you!” She was so cheerful and bright, it was nearly breathtaking. He was eager to see the change from frightened or sad as he’d seen so often recently. It would probably be better for there to be more people around when he inevitably ran into his brother, though...he started driving, headed for his own home.

“Alright, I’ll run home first and then come over. Where should I meet you?” He knew what she would say, but he also knew it would give him away to know. Why should he have remembered it? She had given him verbal directions; he hadn’t even been given the specific address by her, she’d just pointed it out. He needed to tread very carefully with the information he had. She told him she would text him, and they hung up shortly after. The whole drive home, Saku lost himself in bleak, dark memories.

He and Genya had been the best of friends growing up; it was kinda a given, since they _were_ twins. They had regular parents, a cop and a part-time librarian, and a pretty happy early childhood. Genya looked out for him in every way, and he would have done anything and everything for his brother. All of that changed the summer before high school started.

Their parents had been arguing more and more often. Often their mom would stay out after big fights; first one night, then two...Their father distracted himself by giving every waking moment over to his work. He got a promotion; so did Genya, promoted to primary caretaker for the twins. He took it all in stride as if it was nothing. Gen woke them up, made their breakfast and lunch, got them to and from school, and made their dinner and got them in bed at a fairly reasonable time when their mom was gone. 

But that summer...their parents got divorced. Their dad had uncovered an affair, and they had the biggest fight they’d ever had. It was...bad. Unspeakably so. Saku didn’t really have much of a memory of it; as soon as things had started to get out of hand, their mother shouted for Gen to keep Sakuya safe, and then...Gen, physically dragging Saku out as he struggled and kicked, being wrestled into a car, screaming and crying...the single gunshot they heard as Gen gunned it out of the neighborhood. Sakuya had never, _would_ never, forgive him for that moment.

If they’d never left, their mom would be alive. He knew their dad; the man would never have done... _that_ if they’d been there. Especially if they had shielded her, stood in his line of fire. He would _never_ have kept that gun so much as pointed at them. As a police officer and a father, he had drilled weapon safety into them, and he’d shouted and then cried the one time Sakuya had accidentally pointed an unloaded gun in Gen’s direction. There was _no doubt_ in his mind. The image he had of their hero father went totally against the idea. If only they’d been there.

Gen claimed he had no choice; he _had_ to protect Sakuya, like their mom had shouted. That she knew he had that darkness inside of him; that was exactly why the fights and the separations and the affair had started. In his eyes, their mother had done no wrong, and neither had he. They were both so hurt, and bitterly fought about everything for a while, but they’d stopped speaking after the trial.

When the police had come to him, he’d told them he refused to testify. There was more than enough evidence, and he _knew_ if only they had stayed, their father wouldn’t be in that position in the first place.

He’d assumed Gen had said the same thing.

But seeing his twin take the stand against their father, becoming the final nail in a coffin that would take away both of their parents and leave them alone, was the final knife wound to his heart. He could take no more betrayal. He had not spoken a word to Genya since that moment. He took no more help, and allowed nothing but the most unavoidable interactions to occur.

Well...at least until now. It was a bitter pill to swallow, knowing Genya had already lied his way into Angel’s heart- or at least, her bed. The poor girl was clearly a magnet for all the wrong sorts of men, if she attracted creeps like Juami and backstabbing traitors like Gen.


	9. Chapter 9

Angel had been lounging around with Gen and Hideyoshi in the living room for the better part of the afternoon, waiting on everyone to get back. Gen had told Hideyoshi, with Angel giggling and backing him up, about Inuchiyo’s awkward entrance with his friend, and the brunette was nearly sobbing with laughter by the end of it. After giving it some time, Angel could appreciate that it really _was_ most likely some sort of mistake. The poor guy on the floor had been so desperately mortified; she doubted that would have been fake. 

Then Saku had called, and she’d invited him over, and that had snowballed into Hideyoshi texting and telling Toshiie to invite Sayuri and his ‘new boyfriend’ and Gen heading out to pick up a bunch of drinks for everyone. While he was gone, Hideyoshi and Angel tidied up a bit and brought some extra chairs out. After Gen was back, he set up some music and brought out a deck of cards, and Hideyoshi brought a video game console out of his room to hook up to the TV; Angel had to admit, they’d transformed the space into something a large group could all comfortably hang out and chill in. When they were all grabbing a few drinks for themselves, Inuchiyo showed up with Yukimura and another man with hair an even paler silver than Gen’s in tow.

“Wow, Sayuri, you’ve changed quite a bit since the last time I saw you,” Genya called, and Angel giggled while Toshiie rolled his eyes.

“She’s on her way. This is Saizo, he’s on the team, too. And to properly introduce him, this is Yukimura.” The two newcomers smiled, though Yukimura’s was a boyish grin next to Saizo’s casual smirk. The three of them took seats, and Angel found herself between Gen and Hideyoshi on one of the couches while the guys all started talking football. Angel was content to listen and sip on some hard lemonade Gen had bought for her, up until a soft knock on the door pulled her to her feet, answering it before and of the boys had a chance to get up. It was Sayuri, and she greeted Angel with a hug like they were old friends.

Another round of introductions were made, and Gen pulled out his cards, starting a game up while everyone was chatting. Saizo, Yukimura, Hideyoshi, and Angel joined in, while Inuchiyo took Sayuri to the kitchen to find something other than beer for her. Angel suspected they were probably also having a more intimate ‘hello,’ and was grateful for their choice of alternate location. Angel had never played poker before, and had to have Gen explain it to her with lots of input from the other players before she was ready to start. Gen announced they would play for nothing the first round with fake bets so Angel would understand what to do, and she pouted a little. She didn’t have much cash on her at all, she would have to drop out if she lost much. But that was half the fun, she supposed, so they played their demo hand and Angel quickly understood what to do. 

Just before they started their first real game, Gen pulled out a stack of shot glasses and a bottle of a bright blue liquid. He began filling them up and placing one before each player.

“Shot every time you fold or lose a hand,” he smirked, clearly confident in himself just from the tone of his voice. Everyone nodded, and Gen began dealing cards. Inuchiyo and Sayuri returned from the kitchen, each with a glass of something in their hands, and crowded in to get a good look at the game. The boys started betting with change from their pockets, which made Angel feel a bit better; she laughed at herself for thinking they _had_ to play with real money. Hideyoshi quickly proved her own point by betting with a button on his next turn, and then they were all betting with whatever they had on hand. 

The first hand went by quickly as everyone got into it, with Angel and Yukimura folding before Gen proved to have the better cards than Saizo and Hideyoshi. Angel giggled as she watched Saizo sizing up a smirking Genya as he took his shot, and then another knock sounded on the door.

“Here, you tag in,” Angel said as she thrust her cards into Sayuri’s hands and headed off towards the door. “That’s probably my friend.” She pulled open the door and grinned at Saku, stepping out onto the porch with him rather than taking him back into the house. “Hey! I wanted to tell you about class before we go in,” she explained, so excited to share her good fortune. Sakuya gave her a supportive smile. “I went to an advisor and they’re going to do a credit swap for me and have me work in one of the offices. Well, it’s not for sure yet, but the advisor told me I didn’t have to go back to class until he’d contacted me about it.”

“That’s wonderful,” Saku sounded relieved, but something about his expression wasn’t right. After seeming to deliberate with himself, he finally added, “I’ll miss seeing you around in class, though.” Awh, maybe it was the alcohol talking, but Saku being bashful about missing her company may have been the most adorable thing. 

“Well then,” she smiled brightly at him, reaching forward to take his hand and lead him into the house, “you’ll just need to hang out with us more!” She pulled him along with her into the living room, introducing him quickly to the others. “Everybody, this is Sakuya, he’s been my hero through this whole ‘creepy professor’ thing.” 

She felt Saku’s fingers twitch in her hold, and then she looked over at her friends as everyone said hello. Everyone, she noticed, but Gen. His expression was a rare display of surprise and confusion for several seconds until it froze over into a bland smile under an ice-cold stare. She didn’t understand that from him at all; everyone else seemed fine. Even Inuchiyo was greeting him warmly, scooting his chair over a little to drag another closer.

Angel took her former position next to Gen, but couldn’t get him to look at her; he was exclusively focused on the cards in his hand. After a second of chewing his lip and shuffling, he seemed to make up his mind about something, and his eyes shot right to Saku for whatever reason. 

“Well, I was gonna suggest strip poker next, but I’d hate to upset any of our guests’ _delicate sensibilities._ ” Despite most of the room blushing at the idea, his eyes remained glued to the seemingly unaffected Saku, who shrugged and gave a thin smile.

“Don’t change your plans on my behalf. If that’s what you were doing, then by all means, what kind of a guest would I be to impose like that?” Angel was now watching things unfold like a train wreck; did they know one another? She was so flabbergasted by the unexpected tension that she didn’t notice the deep shade of crimson Yukimura had gone until Saizo spoke from beside him.

“Oh of course, I agree. It would be simply _rude_ of us guests not to join in with our hosts,” he agreed, smirking at the now horror-stricken man beside him. “Wouldn’t you say so, dear?”

“I’ll do it,” Sayuri piped up with a belated look towards Inuchiyo, “If Toshiie doesn’t mind.” Put on the spot, he blushed and tripped over his words.

“No- I mean, yeah! You do...whatever you choose, you know? We should- I mean-“ before he could correct himself and back out, Hideyoshi spoke over him, winking at Angel. 

“Are you gonna play with us?” he nudged Angel, and she reflexively agreed when all eyes were on her.

“Yeah. Um, yeah, let’s play.” Butterflies fluttered nervously in her stomach as Gen began dealing cards and Hideyoshi handed out drinks to those who needed one. When Gen started pouring everyone a shot as well, the butterflies rioted. She didn’t know why, but she had a feeling things were going to get out of hand quickly.

Four hands later and Angel would probably have agreed with her earlier notion, had she remembered having it. Gen had lost one hand to Saizo, but otherwise he was wiping the board with the rest of them. Five shots of that stuff had her beyond buzzed, and missing both socks and both shoes. Hideyoshi hadn’t been wearing shoes; he was shirtless, having lost both an outer shirt and an undershirt. Toshiie was too, as he’d lost his sweatshirt and shirt but had nothing underneath; same for Yukimura. Gen had _chosen_ his shirt as the first thing to lose, while Saizo took his off after the round following his victorious hand. Sayuri was the worst off; she’d worn sandals, so she’d removed those as well as a cardigan and her bra, which she’d gotten out of without even having to take off her shirt or step away. Saku was probably in the best position, as he’d only lost footwear like Angel and still had a tie and a button up shirt.

“How the hell d’ya keep winning?” Inuchiyo squinted hard at Gen, who barked out a quick laugh.

“What can I say,” he hummed, but downed his own shot despite not needing to per their rules. Angel noticed he had still been taking his own shot every game, and appreciated him not holding an advantage over them...she really didn’t want to end up the biggest loser in the game. Sayuri seemed to be thinking along the same lines, and was halfway to holding up her hand to keep Gen from dealing her in when he spoke, and she dropped her arm. “Let’s make this a bit more interesting. If you lose, you can choose to answer a question from the group rather than lose the clothes.” 

Saizo chuckled, a mischievous spark in his eyes, and Sayuri looked relieved; Angel was nervous. This could end up going _very_ poorly, but...so far everything had been really fun, with lots of laughter and teasing and talking. What’s the worst that could happen? Gen dealt out the cards, and the game began.

As soon as she picked up her cards, Angel had to hold in a groan. She would need to trade at least four of her cards to have a chance at anything even remotely decent. She sighed; Gen seemed to have Lady Luck in his pocket. Yukimura was to Gen’s other side and started it off, sliding two cards forward to trade. Saizo grinned like a cat who’d caught a bird. 

“Tough hand, hmm?” he purred as he slid a single card forward. “You’re turning red again.” Saizo was right; when he’d pointed out Yukimura’s bad hand, the other man had started to blush. His eyes flicked to Angel next, and he casually called her out as well. “So don’t feel bad, little lady, you’re not alone. You can stop chewing that poor lip.” Angel froze, releasing her lower lip which she’d been worrying mindlessly between her teeth as she thought. She and Yukimura’s eyes met, and they both dropped their cards with matching huffs.

“You’re horrible,” Yukimura hissed as he picked up his shot and raised it to Angel in a toast of defeat, which she took with him. Sayuri slid two cards forward and Inuchiyo three as they drank.

“Oh, don’t say that til you hear my question,” Saizo cooed back, and Angel giggled at the pair of them, missing Saku sliding a single card forward as well. Hideyoshi put in a pair, and Angel pouted over not even getting to play her turn while Gen began dealing out the new cards.

“Oh!” Angel heard herself gasp before she could stop herself, and she clapped a hand over her mouth before she spoiled things for Gen; she’d just realized he hadn’t exchanged any of his cards.

“What?” Inuchiyo asked her though, looking concerned. Oh great, how to not blow Gen’s cover...

“I just thought of a really good question, sorry,” she laughed, hoping she seemed embarrassed rather than nervous. Hideyoshi bought it, at least, because he leaned forward and looked at her as he scooped up his new cards.

“For who?” he asked with a wink. “You gotta make it something they _really_ won’t want to answer, you know. Don’t let anyone off easy.” Angel frowned; it sounded like he already had something in mind.

“Oh yeah? Like what?” she challenged, but he just laughed and tousled her hair.

“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?” he teased back, and Angel stuck out her tongue at him. Sayuri sighed heavily, sliding her cards forward resignedly.

“Well, I hope it’s not for me, I fold,” she said before knocking back her shot. Saizo smirked widely.

“What about you, Monkey? Or do you plan to bluff your way to revealing your hand?” he asked, and Hideyoshi’s eyes narrowed.

“I think you got lucky with those two,” he said, voice even. “You’re just guessing to try to get me to fold.” Saizo shrugged, laughing quietly, but surprisingly it was Sakuya who answered.

“No, it’s the way you lean back with your hand. You sit forward when you’ve got something,” Saku informed him in an even, flat voice, and Saizo raised an eyebrow at the raven-haired man while Hideyoshi frowned and discarded his hand grumpily.

“You, I haven’t figured out yet,” he admitted, looking warily at Sakuya. “You’ve been folding every turn. Have you really had such awful luck? I’ll call.” Saizo set his cards down just in front of him and crossed his hands behind his head, making it clear he was just waiting on them. While Inuchiyo hesitated, Sakuya laughed, giving a knowing smile to Saizo.

“Oh no, but I knew Genya had a better hand. This round though...I’ll call too.” Saizo tilted his head, eyes searching Saku’s casual demeanor for weaknesses while Gen scoffed, laying his cards down in front of him like Saizo had.

“Always did think you knew everything,” Gen hummed, and let his arm settle along the back of the couch behind Angel while his eyes flicked briefly toward Inuchiyo. “You gonna give, or tough it out with the rest of us?” Toshiie looked torn, but Sayuri leaned over to peek at his hand and then laughed, resting her hand on his bicep.

“Come on, we’ll think of good questions while they bicker,” she purred at him, and Toshiie tossed his cards into the pile with a sigh.

“I bet they’re _all_ bluffing,” he huffed as he grabbed his shot, and Angel and Sayuri giggled while the remaining three stared each other down. 

“So whaddya got?” Gen drawled, and there was no trace of a smirk when Saizo flipped his cards to reveal all four fours. Toshiie was whispering something to Sayuri, but all eyes moved to Sakuya, who smiled blandly.

“You talk too much when you think you have something,” Saku noted, and Angel stared at him in surprise; she’d felt like Saizo had been relatively quiet all evening save for comments here and there. Then again, Saku hadn’t really said anything unless someone spoke to him first. Saizo’s eyes narrowed, and his smile was hard.

“Then by all means, let’s show what we have,” he murmured, gesturing for Sakuya to reveal his cards. With a smug expression, Saku laid down a king-high straight flush; he’d beaten Saizo. Angel was shocked. Sakuya had folded quickly in every other hand, she hadn’t really been expecting him to turn around like that. A slow laugh resounded from Gen beside her, and she turned to see a bitter smile on his lips.

“Always gotta one up me, huh. You musta learned to play from someone really good,” he sighed, throwing down his hand to reveal a jack-high straight flush in a different suite. The room practically exploded with the noise of everyone talking at once.

“ _WHAT?_ ” Sayuri squealed at the same time Inuchiyo was yelling about the improbably of those hands. Hideyoshi crowed his congratulations to Saku, while Yukimura sat back with a dumbfounded, ‘woah,’ and Saizo’s gaze flicked back and forth between the Gen and Saku. Angel was chuckling over the whole thing, and she leaned over Gen to grab his shot glass and hand it to him.

“You can’t beat us every time,” she teased, and Gen made a face at her before tossing back the glass.

“So who goes first?” Sayuri piped up, a mischievous grin plastered all over her face, and Inuchiyo laughed beside her. 

“Go in order we folded?” he suggested, and a murmured agreement went around the room.

“Oh, I have one for him,” Saizo chimed in as everyone’s eyes fell on Yukimura, and he began to blush under their stares. “Why don’t you tell us all when you got your first kiss?” Yukimura’s face went scarlet, and he glared daggers at Saizo, spluttering.

“You-! I- it’s, well, I just-“ Saizo’s relaxed yet predatory smirk was back, but it was Sayuri who cut him off with a wink.

“You can always lose the pants,” she teased, and Yukimura’s mouth opened and closed but no more sound came out. Eventually, he dropped his face into his hands.

“I...haven’t?” he finally admitted, voice tiny, as if he hoped the rest of them wouldn’t hear. The guys all busted out laughing, but Sayuri caught Angel’s eye and jerked her head towards the furiously blushing man with a suggestive look; Angel caught on immediately.

“A sweetheart like you?” Sayuri cooed at him, and Angel shook her head in exaggerated pity.

“That doesn’t seem right, does it?” she hummed, playing along, and then she and Sayuri both partially stood to lean over and kiss his cheek, one on each side. Yukimura was frozen for a solid ten seconds, blush burning its way down his neck and onto his chest before-

“Gyah?!” Yukimura drunkenly tried to surge to his feet but lost his balance partway up and ended up crashing off of Toshiie and onto the floor. Everyone was laughing, Saizo practically howling with mirth as Yukimura sat there on the floor, looking helplessly flustered and stunned in equal measure.

“Anyone got a good one for Saizo?” Sayuri asked perkily, clearly moving on from the incident, and Saizo smirked widely, answering before anyone else could.

“Don’t bother, I’ve still got a sock,” came his quick reply at the same time he peeled the aforementioned item off his foot. Eyes moved to Sayuri next, who beamed around at them all almost challengingly.

“I’ve got one,” Hideyoshi’s grin was wide and altogether _too_ sweet; Angel saw Inuchiyo stiffen in his position at Sayuri’s side. “Why don’t you tell us what you and the Puppy get up to when we’re not around to keep an eye on you?” The glare Sayuri leveled at Hideyoshi was formidable, but then she stood up without a response and began slipping out of her pants and- Angel blushed, realizing that the answer was probably too intimate for Sayuri to want to share, and that the fact that Hideyoshi knew to ask that meant that Inuchiyo must have been bragging to him about it. Gen snorted and gestured towards Toshiie, clearly moving on before Sayuri had even finished undressing.

“I’ve got one for Maeda,” Yukimura laughed, elbowing Saizo, “why’d you get so worked up when we were here getting your change of clothes?” Inuchiyo rolled his eyes.

“Because I’ve been looking out for Angel for practically my whole life,” he answered decisively, crossing his arms over his bare chest. Angel felt her face growing hot; partially from his words and partially from the way his movement drew her eyes to his naked, muscular upper body. God, Sayuri was _right there,_ but her self-directed admonishment was weak at best. Angel finally forced her eyes away when Sayuri ducked her head, hiding whatever expression was on her face. It probably wasn’t great to hear her boyfriend proclaiming to be the protector of another woman. Could this get any more uncomfortable? Apparently it could. “Speaking of, you been keeping to yourself in that room with Angel, Hideyoshi?”

“Is that my question?” Hideyoshi’s tone was challenging, and Inuchiyo took the bait with a snarl.

“It is now.” Angel was rooted to her spot, eyes wide, unable to do anything but watch in shock in her inebriated state. The atmosphere suddenly filled with tension; Hideyoshi on one side of her, glaring right back at Inuchiyo across from them. On her other side, Gen looked only mildly interested in what was taking place, but waves of some deep, furious energy were rolling off of him so strongly Angel could nearly feel them. Yukimura leaned over to Saizo, whispering something in his ear, while Hideyoshi slowly rose from his seat.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” his voice was teasing, but anger burned almost perceptively from his stare-down with Toshiie as he started unbuttoning his pants. Inuchiyo’s fists clenched together tightly and Angel hid her blush behind her hands as he started to stagger to his feet, when a delicate hand on his arm stopped him. Sayuri leaned over, lips so close to his skin she could have been kissing him, and muttered something, and Toshiie slowly let himself relax as Hideyoshi sat back down, now officially the most undressed. He was so close to Angel, she could feel warmth radiating from his naked skin, see his muscles shift with every breath. The boxer briefs he wore were a pale purple and fitted him snugly... _very_ snugly. Angel swallowed hard, and when she looked up, everyone in the circle was looking at her consideringly; ohhh yes, it was her turn now.

“I’ve got this one,” Gen drawled, half turning in his seat to face Angel, and her stomach dropped; the look in his eyes was decidedly not an indication of good things to come. “How come Saku’s such a big hero if you’re still having to drop your class to get away from that perv?” Angel felt the color drain from her face as her gaze darted to Inuchiyo, who looked like he’d just been punched in the gut.

“Angel...?” His voice was dazed but his eyebrows were slowly creeping into a scowl, and she braced herself for the imminent explosion, but Saku clearly had no idea just how big of an impact that question would have on the others; his cold stare was focused exclusively on Genya.

“You know, she probably wouldn’t need someone else looking out for her if you were more worried about protecting her than getting in her pants.” The room went completely silent. Angel felt stricken; _what was Saku doing?!_ How could he have known? He wasn’t done there, though, and Angel could do little more than cover her horrified expression slowly as he continued furiously. “He followed us to her _home,_ if I hadn’t been there with her, things could have been so much worse. It seems that once again, you seem to know _nothing_ about those closest to you.” 

The venom in his voice was so sharp and unexpected, everyone in the group seemed to have turned to stone save for the pair of them. Even Inuchiyo, who looked like his head was about to explode, and Sayuri, whose mouth had formed a tiny ‘o’ of fear and surprise, did not move an inch. It was like witnessing some sort of cataclysmic event; it was devastating, earth-shattering, and seemingly completely unstoppable. Then Gen shocked them all. He leaned forward and laughed, a slow, lazy chuckle that was abrasively at odds with what was happening.

“What, you’re not on the side of the psychopath this time around?” Gen said mockingly, a hard smirk on his face, and then suddenly he vanished. It took almost a full second for Angel to register that Saku had silently flown from his spot and tackled Gen off the couch and was now on top of him on the ground, raining blows down onto the silver-haired man.

Sayuri’s scream broke the stillness, and Angel immediately snapped to herself, as did some of the guys. She tried to get up to do _something,_ but a completely forgotten Hideyoshi suddenly had his arms around her, holding her securely to keep her from getting in the middle of it. It was Saizo and Inuchiyo who leapt up and hauled Saku off Gen and towards the front door, with Yukimura trailing close behind.

“C’mon, we’re gonna walk it off,” Inuchiyo grunted, and then the four of them were gone. Only after the click of the latch on the door had sounded did Angel remember that she was still being held tightly against Hideyoshi’s exposed chest, and she quickly shoved her way out of his arms to scramble to where Gen was pushing himself upright.

“I...I’ll go get some ice,” Sayuri muttered, but Angel ignored her departure as she tried to figure out a way to _help._ The alcohol slowing down her system definitely wasn’t helping as she tried to assess the damage. Maybe it just looked bad because he was _bleeding_ so much. Blood was beading up in several raw spots and pouring from his nose to drip down his chest; it was a macabre sight, to be sure. Her hands fluttered uselessly as Gen finally sat up and leaned back against the couch next to where Angel sat on the ground, tilting his head back in an attempt to slow the blood.

“What...” Angel began slowly, but once she found her voice, she couldn’t keep her questions from pouring out, “the absolute _fuck_ was that?! What the hell just _happened_?!” Hideyoshi appeared suddenly, reaching over her shoulder to hand Gen a balled-up towel she hadn’t noticed him leave to retrieve.

“Yeah, I’m with Angel,” he hummed as he handed it over to Gen, who immediately pressed the cloth to his nose.

“Shouldn’t that be my line?” Gen’s response was slightly slurred, and he rolled his head to study her with the one eye she could see past the towel. “I can’t tell if you’re fucking with me or if he is.” His words were like a slap; tears sprang to her eyes before she could stop them at the thinly-veiled accusation.

“How could- I don’t- You-“ Angel spluttered weakly, unable to fully form a thought, and Hideyoshi growled as he rested a hand on her shoulder.

“Watch it,” he snapped, and Gen scoffed, gaze never leaving Angel.

“D’ya really mean you don’t know he’s my twin?” Angel barely registered the sharp intake of breath from both Hideyoshi and Sayuri, who’d just returned from the kitchen with a bag of ice cubes; she could do nothing except stare dumbly at Gen, brain refusing to process this information.

“He’s your... _what_? _Saku_?! You’re...not serious...right?” That one visible crimson eye rolled and then looked away from her. 

“Yeah, crazy he didn’t say anything. We haven’t talked in years.” Gen pulled the towel away from his face and began trying to wipe up some of the blood that had dropped onto his chest and down his abs, but wasn’t successful in doing more than smearing it.

“Here,” Sayuri was abruptly thrusting the bag of ice at him, and Angel found herself moving to take the towel from Gen as he accepted the ice and held it to his face. She stood, only remembering Hideyoshi’s hand was still on her shoulder when it fell away.

“I’ll go...get water,” she murmured as she spun, frantic to do _something,_ and carried the towel to the sink. She could still hear them talking over the running water as she rinsed the towel off as well as she could.

“Was he right?” Hideyoshi asked, and there was a heavy thudding sound followed by a hiss of pain from she was assuming Gen.

“I don’t _know_! She hasn’t told me any more about that creep than you!” Gen sounded almost like he was sulking, but Sayuri wasn’t backing down.

“I’m pretty sure he meant about Angel,” she pointed out flatly, and there was a loud huff.

“She can do whatever she wants. We aren’t a couple, if that’s what you’re gettin’ after,” Gen grumbled, and Angel felt those words like a blow, as well. Stupid...that was how things were, he was just being straight with them. She tried to dismiss it as the alcohol and stress messing with her emotions and wrung out the towel a few times before shutting off the water. She came back into the room just in time to watch Hideyoshi and Sayuri exchanging a significant look.

Angel refused to say a word; she bit her lip as she went to Gen and dropped to her knees at his side and began to clean some of the mess off of him. Gen jumped at the first touch of the wet cloth to his stomach; he’d been frowning off at nothing and hadn’t seen it coming. He said nothing, either, just turned his head to look at her instead.

“He never told you, Angel?” Sayuri turned her interrogation to Angel next, and Angel sighed, feeling guilty. This was really all _her_ fault, even if she hadn’t meant for any of this to happen.

“No, Saku probably had no idea...I guess I really never said who lived here when I invited him to come over. He’s never mentioned having a brother before.” Angel hung her head, focusing on the cloth in her hand as she worked her way up Gen’s body. A bloody hand drifted down to cover hers and then gently tug the towel out of it.

“He knew, Angel. S’not your fault.” With a groan and the couch for support, Gen got to his feet. “Gonna take a shower and go to bed.” Without another word or backwards glance, Gen slunk away from them and down the hall. Angel almost chased after him, but when she stood, Sayuri stepped to block the path and shook her head.

“He needs some space, I think. Let him get cleaned up,” she said gently, and Angel was defeated, guilt rising at the realization that she had no idea how to make things better.

“You ladies wanna go check on the rest of them?” Hideyoshi asked, already grabbing the pants he’d discarded. “Except I’m not running out there half naked like they did.” Angel nodded, resigned to the fact that if she couldn’t help Gen, she ought to turn her attention to the other half of the problem that she had created. The three of them dressed and headed out the front door to find the rest of their group.

That sneaking, underhanded, _worthless_ Genya had intentionally provoked him into a fight in front of Angel, and Sakuya was absolutely _furious_ about it. How _dare_ he. He’d let Angel’s friends manhandle him out the door and a few houses away, then shrugged out of their guidance and staggered over to a nearby tree before sitting down and leaning back against it. He barely took notice of the rest of them following him over; he was completely lost in his own thoughts.

He mulled over his rage and how upset Angel must be and why that was such a big deal until it had finally dawned on him, slamming into him with the force of a ton of bricks; he...loved her. In a way that was so natural and deeply ingrained in his very being that he hardly noticed when it had started. He wanted her for himself. He would keep her safe, would treasure her; Genya would only use her until it came time for him to look out for himself. Angel drew trouble to her, as darkness surrounds the light of a candle; she needed someone strong enough, devoted enough, to be willing to fight her shadows. Sakuya would do that, was _already_ doing that, although he hadn’t fully realized why until that moment.

Almost as soon as he’d had this realization, he began to think. He’d now put himself in a terrible position with that fight. She was sure to be frightened of the violence, and his loathsome _brother_ had designed the scene to paint Sakuya as the instigator. She probably would not want to have him around much after this, and with her leaving the class they shared...he needed another way into her circle.

“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely, looking up at Toshiie and catching his eye. “No matter what my brother said, I shouldn’t have lost control like that.” He watched the shock spread across Toshiie’s face, but it fell away just as quickly.

“You okay?” he asked, dropping himself to the ground to sit a few feet away and causing Yukimura to take a seat as well, “What’s going on with Angel? I didn’t...she didn’t tell us about all of that, just that the guy was a creep.” Sakuya focused his gaze on Toshiie, trying to read him. He’d said they were childhood friends...perhaps Toshiie was motivated to protect her as well. A comrade in arms, as it were. Saku let out a heavy sigh, and then recounted what he knew of Juami and the situation regarding Angel. When he got to the part about walking her home to make sure she made it safely, he saw the other man’s eyes narrow, but then Toshiie surprised him by stretching over to lay a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re a good guy, Saku. Thank you for looking out for her.” His expression, which had been kind when he spoke, hardened abruptly. “Is Gen really...?” He trailed off, seemingly too angry to speak, and Yukimura patted his arm.

“Probably just a misunderstanding, like the other day.” Saizo, who’d been quiet up til that point, threw Saku a pointed look before he casually interjected.

“Though one would wonder why it matters to either of you.” Saizo’s eyes slid to Toshiie. “ _You_ have the lovely little Sayuri hanging off your arm, and _you,_ ” his eyes flicked back to Saku, “are just a former classmate. Unless I’m mistaken?” He let the question hang in the air, and Saku grit his teeth at the smirk on the man’s face. Toshiie seemed flustered; that was another thing to remember for later. For now...

“It isn’t a misunderstanding. And it’s for her own sake that I don’t want it to continue. He won’t take care of her.” Saku bit off his words before he finished with ‘like I would,’ but Yukimura seemed to have heard it anyway.

“Are you in _love_ with her?” he asked eagerly, leaning forward with his enthusiasm. Saku’s eyes darted to Toshiie to gauge his reaction, as he seemed to hold the ‘big brother’ role in Angel’s life, but none of the anger that had been on his face while they discussed Genya was present. So he bowed his head, hoping an admission would play in his favor better than a denial.

“I...believe I may be. I only want what’s best for her,” he said, sounding perfectly forlorn. In truth, though, he had no doubt; he _was_ what would be best for her, even if she had yet to realize it herself. Yukimura and Toshiie clearly took the bait; both of them shared sympathetic looks, and Toshiie sighed heavily.

“If there was anyone I’d trust to look after her properly, I think it’d be you,” he hummed almost wistfully, and Saku had to tamp down a rising smile. The man was like a dog, and seemingly once you’d won him over you had his unwavering loyalty. His chance seemed to have been a favorable one. Just then, a group came out of the house still visible down the block, though there were only three of them. Saku nodded in their direction, alerting the others of their approach. “We’re here!” Toshiie called, waving them over.

Of course Genya had hidden himself away; it was Angel, Sayuri, and the brunette roommate. They drifted over to join the loose circle they were creating on someone’s yard, and it burned at Saku that Angel kept her head down and would not meet his eye. He used the tree at his back to help himself to his feet and then took a step towards her, trying to gain her attention.

“Angel?” He called her name pleadingly, begging her gaze to rise to meet his. When it did, he took another step forward. “Could we talk for a moment? I just want to apologize to you.” She appeared startled, but once her wide eyes had focused onto his, she seemed unable to look away. The brunette roommate frowned and looked like he was about to interject, and Sakuya felt his irritation beginning to grow, but Toshiie came to his rescue. He staggered upright and then threw an arm around the other man’s shoulders.

“Come on, you guys, we’ll meet them back at the house,” he announced, steering his friend away and leading the others who followed behind them back towards the sidewalk. In just a matter of a few moments, Sakuya and Angel were left standing alone together in the quiet darkness.

“So, um...” Angel began, dropping her eyes to her hands she was fidgeting with in front of her. Saku had no intention to listen to her defend Genya against his actions, however, and didn’t wait for her to gather her thoughts.

“Angel, please forgive me. I should never have put you in a position where you were forced to witness such violence. Please,” Saku took the final step needed to put him squarely in front of her, and laced his voice with the deep yearning that filled him whenever he thought of her, “please, don’t turn away from me because of this. I want to protect you, not cause you harm.” Her eyes flew back up to meet his, and they called to him even if her words would not. He moved even closer and leaned forward to murmur against her ear. “I wish I could be the one you seek when you are in need.” 

He was so close to her, he could feel her breath caressing his jaw. He could not stop himself, didn’t want to; if he was going to try to win her affections knowing that Genya had made a prior claim, he _needed_ her to understand that she was in his heart already. His hands came up to gently grasp her shoulders, and he drew back only far enough to turn his head and press his lips to hers.

He kept his kiss, their _first_ kiss, brief; he didn’t want her to think his motives were as impure as his brother’s. Though the plush give of her skin under his begged him to lose control in this moment, too, he refused and drew back from her. She looked bewildered, and the hand that slowly and shakily rose to brush her own lips seemed to be moving without any conscious effort on her part. She looked so beautiful, so delicate in her confusion, it took every ounce of his restraint to put a smile on his face and keep himself from returning her body to his.

“Is it alright if I come back with you, or would you prefer I leave?” he asked, gallantly hiding how desperately he needed her to say yes. Her silent nod eased the concern eating away at him, and her stumbling step towards him as she seemed to thaw elated him. He offered her his arm, and when she took it, he guided her back towards the house while he savored the feel of her touch on him.

Hideyoshi let himself be dragged back inside by Toshiie, but he didn’t go quietly. As soon as they were through the door, he shrugged off the arm around his shoulders forcefully and stomped his way over to the couch before dropping down onto it.

“Tell me again why we left her alone with a violent near-stranger?” Hideyoshi snapped, glowering at Toshiie as he and the others took their seats. The raven-haired man frowned, eyes roving in the direction of their bedrooms in the back as if to make sure Genya wasn’t about to join them.

“Saku isn’t a violent stranger...he’s been protecting her. Gen’s just...did you _know_ about that?!” Toshiie was suddenly glaring at Hideyoshi, and the brunette bristled at the implication.

“Puppy, sometimes I worry you don’t have a single useful thought in that head of yours.” Before the two of them could really get into it, though, Sayuri stepped in.

“Alright, you two, there’s been more than enough fighting for one night,” she admonished the pair of them before she leaned down to grab the bottle of liquor Gen had left behind from their game. “Why don’t we all take another shot and chill _way_ down for the rest of the night?” She didn’t wait for their response, already beginning to pour and distribute glasses to Yukimura and Saizo.

“She’s right,” Yukimura agreed quickly, “let’s just hang out and have fun.” Saizo nodded, and Hideyoshi turned to give Toshiie a chagrined smile but paused when he noticed the expression on the man’s face as he stared at Sayuri. He seemed taken aback by something, but Hideyoshi didn’t have the energy or the sobriety to try to unravel what it could be. Instead he turned his smile on Sayuri as he accepted a glass from her.

“Thanks. I think we can do that, can’t we, Puppy?” Toshiie shook himself and laughed awkwardly.

“Sure. Thank you, Sayuri.” She giggled and held up her glass, clearly about to start them off, but before she could, the front door opened again. Heads turned to watch Angel enter with Sakuya right behind her, both of them looking much less tense than things had been when they’d been left together. 

“Perfect timing,” Sayuri beamed, pouring a few extra shots for them. “We’re drinking and chilling out for the rest of the night.” Angel grinned at her, going to her former spot on the couch, now between Hideyoshi and Sayuri. Saku went back to his chair as well, and then the group of them proceeded to take their shots. And another round shortly after that. 

By that point the video games had been turned on and Saizo and Toshiie were in a heated battle against one another. Yukimura was half-asleep watching them, sitting on the floor with his back against the couch, and Sayuri was leaned against Toshiie, cheering him on. Hideyoshi, though, found himself ignoring the game completely.

Angel was clearly a lightweight; she’d clearly been drunk before, but the shots they’d taken after everyone had returned to the house had clearly pushed her well past her limits. She kept vacillating between giggling at the banter between Saizo and Toshiie and then blushing and going quiet for no apparent reason at all. At least not one he could determine through the hazy fog his own drinking had placed over him. She looked so _cute_ like that, though, that he was happy to just watch it happen. The more time passed, the less frequent both her giggling and her blushing became, and Hideyoshi was on the verge of asking if everything was alright when her head slowly drooped down to rest on his shoulder.

Oh. That was...nice. Angel’s hair was soft against his skin when he tilted his head to rest his cheek against it, and her slow, even breathing was comforting. He closed his eyes, deeply satisfied and savoring the moment, but when his eyes opened again he was met with the sight of Saku sulkily staring at him. Hideyoshi raised an eyebrow at him challengingly, and Sakuya turned away, mouth set in a hard line. Hideyoshi knew his expression was more than slightly smug, but he didn’t feel the need to stop; that guy should learn quickly that he wasn’t the only one who wanted her attention. 

Hideyoshi looked back up at the game, and was watching it for several moments before he noticed that Saizo was battling against an opponent that just stood there and took the damage without fighting back. When he glanced over to Toshiie, he laughed out loud before he managed to stop himself. Toshiie had drifted off and had slumped to the side, using Sayuri’s lap as an impromptu pillow while still clutching the controller loosely. Sayuri was looking down at the sleeping man fondly, running her fingers through his hair.

“Saizo, he’s out. You can stop,” Hideyoshi laughed, but Saizo merely glanced at the sleeping Toshiie and then to his other side where Yukimura was snoring with his head lolled back on the armrest of the couch before turning back to the screen.

“Nah, I think I’ll go a few more rounds,” he answered with a smirk, and Hideyoshi shrugged with a grin, turning to Sayuri.

“Need help getting him to his room?” he offered, but Sayuri just kept petting the Puppy.

“I think I’ll watch Saizo for a bit longer,” she murmured, and Hideyoshi laughed.

“Well, you guys are welcome to crash here if you’d like, but I’m gonna head out.” He couldn’t keep the triumphant smile off his face as he shot a glance at Saku before shifting to scoop Angel into his arms, standing to carry her back to his room. Hideyoshi should probably have expected it, given how the man had reacted to Gen, but Saku staggered to his feet to block the way.

“What do you think you’re doing? She’s unconscious...I’m not gonna let you...” Saku trailed off, but the expression of outrage he wore more than clearly spoke for him. Hideyoshi blanched as he glanced around and found the only people who could back up his claim of sharing a room with her were either asleep or not present. This absolutely did not look great; even Saizo had turned around at Saku’s words, pinning Hideyoshi with a flat, unreadable expression.

“Ohh, no, this looks- she’s been staying in my room on the bed, I’ve got a spot on the floor. Swear to god. You can come look.” This seemed enough for Saizo, who wordlessly lost interest and turned back to his game, but the same was not true for Saku.

“Yeah, okay,” he said, moving to give Hideyoshi enough room to pass by while making it clear he would be going with them. Hideyoshi rolled his eyes but led him down the hall to his room; he supposed it _was_ good to know Saku really did seem to have Angel’s best interests at heart. That had him musing about how he really did generally like all of these other men who seemed to want to compete with him for Angel. When he got to his door, he stood to the side and inclined his head, silently indicating Saku open it. He did, stepping inside briefly and then returning, making room for Hideyoshi to pass. Before the brunette could move, however, Saku spoke with a fierce sincerity.

“Don’t you dare hurt her, or take advantage of her. I’m not giving up, not until she’s mine.” A depth of emotion burned in his stare, and it was impossible to doubt his feelings, Hideyoshi found. That didn’t mean he had any intention of giving her up or giving in, though.

“My, _someone_ sounds greedy.” He brushed past Sakuya and sauntered into the room, cradling Angel against his chest as he added tauntingly, “Did no one ever teach you to share?” Then he used his heel to close the door firmly shut in the other man’s face. _Sharing,_ though...he headed towards his bed to tuck Angel in, trying to sort out his own feelings after what had been revealed tonight. Did he want to stop trying, knowing she and Gen were probably involved, knowing Saku was willing to fight both figuratively and literally for her? He shifted his hold on her to throw back his comforter, and then laid her down carefully onto his bed. The movement roused her slightly, and her eyes fluttered open to look up at him sleepily.

“Come back, m’cold,” she pouted faintly, reaching out for him and clutching at his shirt. His heart hammered wildly, but he leaned over her to grab the displaced blanket.

“I can fix that, sweetheart,” he murmured gently, and she hummed softly in agreement. Then she tugged him down, and he was off-balance enough in his position that it brought him down on top of her. He caught himself with an arm on either side of her head before he crushed her, but...that left him staring down at her beautiful, perfect face just inches below his. Her pale, porcelain skin was stained with the flush of too much to drink, lips parted, eyes blinking slowly closed, and _oh god_ how he wanted to tuck her more securely underneath himself and kiss her until they were both completely senseless. He shook himself out of his fantasy, trying to carefully extract himself from her grip.

“Let me go, Angel, I’ll tuck you in,” he tried to insist, but couldn’t hold back a grin at the little crease his words created between her brows.

“Stay,” she demanded plaintively, refusing to relinquish her hold on his shirt. “Please?” Her attempts to pull him closer were weak, but his resolve was weaker. He let her draw him down to lay against her side, faces so close their lips were brushing occasionally as they breathed. She sighed happily, seeming to settle as she shifted and molded herself against him, and tucked her face into the juncture between his shoulder and neck. When she muttered, barely audible with her lips moving against him, it was like she was leaving kisses on his throat. “Mm, thanks Hide...” Angel’s voice drifted away and her breathing became slow and deep.

Hideyoshi wanted so much in that moment. He wanted to kiss her, taste her, _feel_ her, wanted to roll over and press her into the mattress and wake her up in ways that would make her moan. He wanted to hold her in his arms like this, peaceful and fragile and securely against him, every day for the rest of his life. Did he still want to fight for her? In that moment, he would have faced an army just to hold her hand.

She said yes to going on a date with him. She’d let him kiss her. Gen had said they weren’t _together_...maybe Gen was going about this the right way. Maybe she’d be more receptive to _just_ dating, not an exclusive relationship. He could do that. He would take anything she was willing to give him gratefully and appreciatively. He just wanted a chance.

His arms constricted around her, cradling her tightly to him as she slept. He could talk to her about it in the morning. He wanted to thoroughly enjoy every second he had with her like this.


	10. Chapter 10

When Angel first began to wake up the next morning, several things hit her nearly all at once, first and foremost being a massive, pounding headache. She groaned, not even opening her eyes and instead burrowing into the firm, comforting warmth at her front, which was when she realized both that whatever she was snuggling against smelled good, and that it was _breathing,_ rising and falling rhythmically under her where she rested on it. _What?_ Her eyes blinked open to find herself laying in a bed that was not hers, in a _room_ that was not hers, with her head pillowed on someone’s chest and no memory of how she got there. Her head snapped up and she found herself staring into the peacefully sleeping face of Hideyoshi. He had his arms wrapped loosely around her, holding her to him unconsciously. 

Angel stared at him for several long seconds before she even _thought_ to check to see what kind of state of dress they were in. They were both fully clothed, she was grateful to realize, and let herself relax enough to lay her head back down onto his chest as she tried to piece together her memories of the previous evening. They had all been drinking, playing cards... she remembered mostly everything up until returning to the house with Sakuya. After that...nothing. The best guess she had was that either one or both of them had wanted to drunkenly cuddle? She bit her lip, mulling over everything that had happened.

The fight between Gen and Saku. That they were _twins._ Gen thinking that she had staged their meeting intentionally. The conversation with Saku...and that _kiss._ The one that left her heart pounding and her lips tingling from just the smallest meeting with his. She didn’t know how to feel about any of it. She _definitely_ didn’t know how to feel about waking up half on top of Hideyoshi, whether they had their clothes on or not. Everything was just too much all at once under the weight of her throbbing head.

Angel sighed and decided water and coffee and something to eat would probably help her settle her heart and mind more than staying in bed on an unaware Hideyoshi. When she went to extract herself from his arms, however, the brunette man frowned lightly in his sleep and his previously loose hold on her tightened to keep her in place. She pushed against his chest, trying to get him to release her, but it only made Hideyoshi grumble.

“Nn, sweetheart you can’t...” he mumbled, squeezing her tighter against his chest and burying his face against her neck and jaw. She swallowed hard, heart squeezing just a little bit at the term of endearment. He was just sleeping, though, it wasn’t like it meant anything. Trying to resolve herself, she squirmed and attempted to wriggle out of his vice like embrace, but she was no match for his sheer strength. However, her struggles did successfully rouse him enough for him to lift his head, blinking owlishly at her.

“Oops,” she blushed, her embarrassment not being helped by the proximity of those bright, tawny eyes, “I didn’t mean to wake you up.” Hideyoshi just blinked at her, and she could almost _see_ his brain working as he took in the sight of her trapped tight against his body, head tilted back to meet his eyes. He looked around the room slowly, then back to her, seeming confused.

“Are you...trying to leave?” She laughed lightly, pushing against his chest again to demonstrate her ineffectiveness and trying to pretend it wasn’t all making her heart beat unevenly.

“The goal was coffee,” she teased, and his arms reluctantly loosened, giving her enough freedom to move away. She sat up and was about to get out of the bed when he suddenly caught her hand, propping himself up on an elbow and looking at her seriously.

“Hey, Angel?” he stopped her, giving her a soft smile, “Think we could talk later today? I’ll buy us lunch?” Though his voice was casual, the pleading look he gave her was anything but, and she found she had no reason to say no.

“Sure, that’d be nice,” she answered easily, and he let her go with a contented smile as he flopped back down onto his pillows.

“Awesome,” he hummed, snuggling back down and closing his eyes, “See you then.” She couldn’t keep the corners of her lips from creeping up as she quietly left and made her way out into the rest of the house. When she caught a glimpse of the living room, though, Angel stopped and clapped her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Saizo, Yukimura, Inuchiyo, and Sayuri were all in there, having clearly fallen asleep after drinking, but Saizo was the only one sleeping alone, laying stretched out on a couch. The other three...Toshiie was laying flat on his back, and curled up against him using his shoulders as pillows were both Yukimura and Sayuri, one on each side. It was equally as adorable as it was humorous. Stifling her chuckles, Angel began searching her pockets for her phone.

“If you’re about to take a picture, don’t worry; I already got one. I’ll text it to you.” Angel nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected voice behind her, and she whirled around to face a very worse-for-wear looking Gen leaning against his doorframe and cradling a cup of coffee in his hands. “Morning, gorgeous,” he added before taking a sip.

Gen looked absolutely _awful._ The bridge of his nose as well as both eyes were covered in heavy blue-black bruises, and his left cheekbone was red and raw. He didn’t react to her shocked and sympathetic murmur of pity, but instead chose to just give her a neutral smile as he nursed his drink. After a moment of her trying to figure out what to say, he smirked and nodded towards the kitchen before strolling casually that way himself. Angel tailed after him, and had found her voice by the time they made it there.

“Oh, Gen...is it really bad?” she asked softly, a large part of her wanting to reach for him, to somehow soothe his pain with her touch, but he just shrugged uninterestedly and busied himself with the coffee maker. 

“Probably deserved it a little,” he answered with a self-depreciating chuckle, pulling a second mug down from the cabinet. “I’m sorry about all of it, though, Angel. My issues are all with him, not you, but I let my shitty feelings mess with me, ya know?” Once he started the coffee brewing, he turned back to her, and she caught the guilty look he was struggling in vain to hide. “Are things still okay between us?” _Oh,_ she realized quickly that he was afraid he’d jeopardized their _friendship._

“Oh, yeah, of course,” she answered hastily, forcing a smile. The immense relief that flashed across his face made some of her own anxieties lessen, and she attempted to lighten the mood by teasing him. “I suppose you are kinda pulling off that hot bad boy look,” she hummed as she took a few steps towards him. Gen laughed but then quickly grimaced even as he reached forward, placing his hands on her hips and gently drawing her closer.

“Mm, ya know,” he rumbled once she was just a few inches from being flush against him, “I appreciate the sentiment, but...” he trailed off before suddenly and unexpectedly hooking one of his arms around her waist and wrapping the other around her back, tugging her into a tight hug. He just held her, securely and bracingly, for a long moment, breathing her in where his face pressed against her shoulder. “Yep, that’s all I needed.” His voice was a low, rough purr, and her heart skipped a beat when his lips grazed her skin, but he let her go just as quickly as he’d embraced her. The smirk Gen wore was small and soft as he let his hands drop and eased back from her. “Coffee’s ready. That batch is for you.” Then he sidestepped past her and walked away, only pausing to scoop up his cup before he was gone.

Almost in a daze, Angel drifted over to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup, and just stood there at the counter sipping on it for a moment. She didn’t really have any other place to go; the living room was occupied, Hideyoshi was asleep in the room they were sharing, and Gen...she figured he would have invited her along if he’d wanted her company. Right? But...it also really wasn’t like him to act like he needed physical comfort. By the time she’d finished her cup, she’d also given herself enough time to work through what had happened.

No matter how poorly behaved they’d _both_ been, neither Gen nor Saku had done anything that had changed her feelings towards them. Their problems were with each other, and as long as they both kept themselves civil around her, there was no reason for her to get involved. She also knew that she’d need to find and talk to Saku later, since she hadn’t seen him around this morning. But for now...Angel took her mug to the sink, rinsed it, and set it in the basin before heading past the slumbering group in the living room to the hallway. For now, the _one_ thing she was certain of was that Gen had been reaching out for her, and even if he hadn’t asked her to come with him...the need and grateful acceptance she’d felt in his arms made her feel like he might want that anyway. Steeling herself, she tapped lightly on his door.

There was a murmur from within, mostly unintelligible, but it didn’t sound like a denial so she hesitantly pushed open the door and peeked inside. Gen was lounging in his bed, sitting with his back against his pillows and scrolling uninterestedly through his phone; he glanced up and stilled when their eyes met. Angel took a deep breath when he waited for her to speak; they’d hooked up already, it shouldn’t be this big of a deal to try to comfort him. Angel slipped inside and closed the door behind her before going over to his bed.

“Angel?” He finally broke his silence when she slid herself into his bed. She didn’t answer, trying to keep her cool before she got nervous about doing this easy, simple thing, and scooted into his side. Gen lifted his arm to accept her into the space between it and his body, but when he chuckled it sounded almost nervous. “Whaddya want here, gorgeous, ‘cause I-“ His words stopped abruptly as Angel shifted down a little to wrap her arms around his waist and lay across his torso, resting her cheek against him as she pulled out her own phone.

“Go back to what you were doing, don’t mind me,” she interrupted, fighting to sound as casual as she possibly could. To emphasize her point, she opened up a game on her device and settled herself on top of him in their casual embrace. “Just gonna cuddle with you til everyone else gets up.”

He was still for a few seconds longer before his arms circled around her. She felt the muscles in his forearms flexing as he began scrolling on his phone again, and she smiled to herself, glad she’d decided to follow.

When Sayuri opened her eyes, she nearly had a heart attack when the first thing she saw was Yukimura staring wide-eyed at her, just inches apart from her face. She jerked back in surprise but found herself unable to move more than her head and shoulders even fractionally; something hard was wrapped around her, holding her in place. The more she struggled, the tighter it seemed to get, and her eyes flew back to Yukimura in panic and confusion.

“Help,” he squeaked, and looking at him again Sayuri understood what was happening.

Toshiie was deeply asleep and had them both wrapped in a crushing bear hug. The more they moved, the more he clutched at them, his large, powerful, and very naked arms like steel bands around them. Yukimura seemed to have put up a fight before she’d woken; he was red-faced and looked like he was in some pain. This was... not what she pictured when she thought of waking up in Toshiie’s arms. Her arms were stuck beneath her, sandwiched between their bodies, and she really had no way of even attempting to leverage herself away from him. 

“Toshiie,” she murmured, and when that did nothing, she said it again more forcefully, “ _Toshiie_!” The man grumbled, shifting and squeezing them both firmly. Sayuri felt her breath huff out as the air was forced from her lungs; Yukimura made a small, agonized sound and she figured she didn’t have time to wake Toshiie up nicely, so she did the only other thing she could think of. She bit him, angling her head to sink her teeth firmly into his shoulder.

She only got half the intended results. With a startled roar, Toshiie immediately dropped Yukimura, who fell back gasping for air, but then the man rolled over and pinned Sayuri underneath him. He was looking around, clearly trying to figure out what had woken him up like that, and when his eyes landed on Sayuri they grew wide.

“Sayuri? What...?” His question trailed off, but his weight eased off of her, allowing air to come flooding back into burning lungs. Then a sudden bark of laughter from somewhere above them had the three of them turning their faces towards the source; Saizo was laying across one of the couches, obviously enjoying the scene they were creating.

“Saizo?!” Yukimura’s indignant whine only made the silver-haired man laugh harder, and Sayuri looked back at Toshiie, still hovering over her.

“Um,” she said softly, hesitant to make him move away but at the same time deeply embarrassed about laying there while they were being laughed at, but he quickly took the hint and got off her, glaring around at his friends.

“What’s going on?” he snapped, and Yukimura filled Toshiie in while testing his ribs gingerly.

“You decided Sayuri and I were beloved toys to cling to in your sleep,” he complained, but this only made Saizo laugh harder.

“Hate to correct you, but it was you two who were cuddling him first.” Saizo pulled out his phone and turned it to face them; on the screen, it clearly showed Sayuri and Yukimura curled up against and draped over Toshiie, who was flat on his back with his arms underneath them. Yukimura turned bright red and made a desperate grab for the device, but Saizo just tsked at him as he safely hid the phone in a pocket. “Ah ah, that wouldn’t help anything, I’m not the only one who stopped by to take a picture. You three were rather adorable, after all.” While the two of them bickered, Sayuri turned to smile at Toshiie and wish him a good morning. Before she could, however, he got to his feet with a laugh.

“Oh man, sorry you guys. I musta been pretty drunk to be trying to cuddle you in my sleep,” he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. Ouch. The reminder that he had no interest was painful; her heart stung in her chest. Of course, he wouldn’t mean anything by it. He was probably trying to reassure them both in equal measure. It still hurt.

“So you ready to go?” Saizo asked Yukimura lazily as he got up and stretched. “We can go get something to eat.” Yukimura agreed swiftly, and after brief goodbyes and agreeing to see Toshiie at their football practice, Yukimura and Saizo made their exit. A slightly uncomfortable silence passed between Sayuri and Toshiie after the door closed behind the pair, and Sayuri found herself wishing for the thousandth time that their pretend relationship actually has substance. _They_ could be heading out to lunch together, chatting about the night before. There had been so much drama, they could have laughed about falling asleep in the living room, holding hands as they-

“So, uh, I’m really sorry about that, Sayuri,” Toshiie murmured, looking guilty and a little embarrassed. “Especially for almost crushing you, I was just...not expecting you to bite me.” He grimaced, and Sayuri felt the color rise in her cheeks. 

“I didn’t- I mean...” Words failed her, and Sayuri hid her face in her hands, wishing she could disappear. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah! I didn’t really mind getting bitten, so it- _wait,_ god, I didn’t mean it like-“ Toshiie backpedaled hurriedly as his own words sunk in for both of them. Sayuri was positive she would have burst into flames where she stood of that were possible, and Toshiie was red and refusing to meet her eyes as well. “You just...I was more surprised than anything,” he finished lamely. She had no idea what to say, but someone broke the tension between them for her.

“Hey, morning you guys.” Hideyoshi stumbled out from the hallway, groggily rubbing his face. “Last night was crazy, right?” Toshiie scoffed, joining Hideyoshi on the way to the kitchen.

“That’s one word for it,” he laughed, and then they were gone from sight and Sayuri dropped down onto one of the couches, torn between her heartache at Toshiie’s obvious disinterest in her and the butterflies that rioted inside her every time she imagined how the man would react if she bit him under _different_ circumstances. Oh god. She needed to get out of that house. 

“Hey, I’m gonna head out, Toshiie,” she called, quickly grabbing her things. If she could escape while he was busy, she wouldn’t have to meet his eyes while being plagued by an inescapable mental image of his hard, strong body above hers and sinking her teeth into the rock-solid muscle of his shoulder as he brought her to- “Text me if you need me!” Sayuri was out the door before her words had fully faded from the air. Oh god. She couldn’t keep doing this.

Something needed to change.

Saku woke up in the backseat of his car and immediately vowed not to consume that much alcohol in Angel’s presence ever again. His head ached and his mouth was dry and his memories were hazy. He needed to get himself back in order. Quickly. He didn’t plan to waste any time before he began his fight for Angel, especially with how certain he was that neither his brother nor the miscreant who had carried Angel to bed would be standing down. It was time to get to work.

Sakuya drove himself home, showering and eating quickly before he was out the door again. How would he make himself ingrained in her life? Simple; he’d start his effort on Toshiie, the long-time close friend. Before he’d stormed out after his conversation with the brunette roommate, he’d chosen to leave his tie behind. That gave him the perfect opportunity to drop in today, but he wanted to make sure he would be doing so when he could have the man’s attention. He needed to catch Toshiie without the pretty girl who’d clung to him all night.

As if the universe knew he was the champion to endorse, he’d barely had the thought while approaching the residence when Sayuri herself threw open the door and ran out. She took a few steps further before leaning against the mailbox, fanning a red face. Saku’s mind raced frantically as he pulled up to the curb just in front of her.

Maybe there was an even easier way into the inner circle. Sayuri was one of the only female friends he knew of Angel having...she probably knew more of his love’s secrets than all of those guys combined. Saku threw his car in park and rolled down his passenger window.

“Hey...Sayuri, right? Are you okay?” She looked up at the sound of his voice, startled, and then blushed even harder.

“O-Oh I’m fine!” she insisted immediately, “Don’t worry about me!” Saku shifted his expression to gentle concern.

“You sure? You seem...a bit distressed.” He saw her eyes dart towards the house briefly; that was interesting. But then she was looking back to him, trying to wave away his notice.

“Yeah, everything’s...great...” Sayuri bit her lip, and Saku smiled knowingly. Something _was_ going on. If he could fix her problem, she’d probably talk him up to Angel without him even needing to ask. She could end up being a valuable ally indeed. 

“Would you like to come get some coffee?” he asked, unlocking his doors. “Maybe tea, to soothe your nerves. We don’t even have to talk if you don’t want to.” When she smiled gratefully, he had to work to keep his expression neutral. 

“Yeah, okay. That’d be a nice distraction. Thanks.” Saku pulled away from the curb easily and was off as soon as she closed the door behind her. He could go back for the tie later. And Sayuri was more of a goldmine than he could have imagined; with only brief, vague promises of secrecy between them, the girl revealed to him a treasure trove of information the likes of which he couldn’t have even dreamed of before they’d even reached the small coffee shop Saku found himself at most often. It was nearly too good to be true.

She’d chosen him as ‘impartial’ because he knew nothing about the secret deal between herself and Toshiie, and he assumed that she thought he and Angel were no more than casual friends since she hadn’t been part of the conversation he’d had outside. She told him how they were all involved in the deception, or at least complicit in the secrecy, without seeming to mean to as she admitted to her developing feelings for Toshiie. She asked for his advice. Instead, he shared a plan.

Angel wasn’t in the house when Hideyoshi finally got up; at least, he didn’t think so at first. Sayuri left while he and Toshiie headed for the kitchen, and after he got himself a glass of water, Hideyoshi sent off a message asking if he and Angel were still on for lunch. Just a second after he sent it, a phone chimed from down the hall, confusing him for a brief second before- _Gen_. She was probably with him. He considered his decision again briefly, but he’d committed himself to his idea. He could deal with any feelings that came _after_ he’d heard what she had to say about it. 

Just a moment later, Angel herself drifted out from the hall, joining he and Toshiie in the kitchen. She gave Hideyoshi a little smile, propping her chin in her hands and her elbows on the counter while looking at him. 

“So what’s the lunch plan?” she asked, and Hideyoshi found himself chuckling at her eager expression.

“Whatever you feel like,” he said, chugging down his water while she thought.

“Burgers,” she decided, “and fries, and maybe a milkshake.” She nodded, then turned and headed for the hall. “Dibs on the shower!” Hideyoshi and Toshiie both groaned in unison, but Hideyoshi watched her go with a smile. She was so bright, so wonderful. She’d be worth it.

In no time at all both of them were showered and dressed and out the door. Angel was clearly in a cheerful, light mood, and Hideyoshi hoped that would work out in his favor soon. Then he drove them to a burger place he’d heard great things about from the football guys and mentally prepared himself. The absolute _worst_ thing he could do would be to go chicken out and miss his chance. They found a booth in the back and chatted about mindless things until their orders had been placed. Then Hideyoshi took a deep breath and met her eyes with a hopefully charming smile.

“Hey, listen, Angel? Can we talk about something before I really start showing you my dating abilities?” Confident, playful, lighthearted; he could do this. She gave him a wary look, crossing her arms on the table in front of her.

“What do you want to talk about?” Guarded, but not shut off; he could work with that, it was completely reasonable for her to feel that way.

“Look, I just...I’ve been thinking about this, about what we talked about the other night, and...y’know, everything that happened _last_ night, too. I think...I’d really like it if you’d let me try dating you. I know you and Gen...I’m not saying we need to be an exclusive thing, or even a couple. We could be, if you wanted, but...I’d just like you to let me give you my best shot. That’s all. Let me take you on dates, hang out some, but totally on your terms. If you’re still interested, we go on another date, and if you’re not, I’ll take it like a man. I’m okay if I’m not what you want, but I want the chance to show you why I think I could be.”

Hideyoshi said all of this like he wouldn’t be able to finish if he stopped speaking; in truth, he _was_ afraid of that happening. The entire time he spoke, Angel moved not a muscle except her eyes, which grew rounder and larger with each word. When he finally stopped his pitch, a heavy quiet filled the air between them. He started to sweat. He opened his mouth to ask if she was okay when their orders arrived, and accepting her food seemed to snap her out of it. Angel waited til their server had departed before holding a single finger up to keep him from speaking.

“I’m thinking. Let’s just eat for a minute,” she all but ordered. ‘Thinking’ wasn’t a no. He could work with that. He bowed his head solemnly to her, then gave her a quick, mischievous smirk before dutifully setting into his food. Man, the guys hadn’t been lying, this place had _amazing_ burgers. He could tell Angel agreed from the way her own meal was disappearing. After a few moments, she caught his eye.

“So, boundaries. Rules. Things are complicated by the fact that we’re sharing a room.” Hideyoshi nodded, but his heart was nearly bursting with excitement; this sounded suspiciously close to a ‘yes.’

“You just tell me what you need and I’ll see it done,” he promised quickly, and a little laugh escaped her before she resumed her serious focus.

“I don’t think we should be sharing a room if we do this...I’m gonna ask Sayuri about how she’d feel about me bunking with Inuchiyo.” She paused, seeming to assess his reaction, but Hideyoshi had his expression firmly set to ‘agreeable.’ “So...dates. Not a committed relationship. I don’t want fighting between you and...anyone else I choose to...spend my time with. Okay?” Easy. This was what he anticipated- _asked for._ Hideyoshi nodded with an easy smile.

“Anything else? I’m on board so far,” he confirmed, and Angel blinked slowly, as if surprised he so readily agreed.

“Um, no, I think that’s pretty much it,” she admitted with a little laugh, and Hideyoshi’s grin grew even wider, brighter, as he let the victorious joy in his heart overflow into his features.

“Wanna hear my plan, then? If you’ve got the time, that is.” Hideyoshi’s wink was all charm and enthusiasm, drawing a giggle and a nod from Angel. “I say you let me buy us this lunch, and then we go to this really cool shopping district I know and we get some ice cream and walk around. _Then,_ there’s this bar I know downtown and they usually have live shows going, we could grab a few drinks and hang out there before picking up dinner and heading back home?” The way her eyes shone at him was confirmation enough even before she agreed, and then Hideyoshi got to work giving her all of his A-game dating moves.

“Bro. Come over. I’ll smoke you out.” Gen was draped sideways across his bed, laying on his back with his head hanging off the edge and looking out his window upside-down. Yesterday was too much. Saku. Then Angel this morning...and her leaving with Hideyoshi for lunch. He was a mess under his always-laid-back demeanor and he wanted someone to come chill and smoke and listen to him vent. On the other end of the line, there was a heavy sigh.

“How long we talking, man? I’ve got work in the morning...” Gen tried his best not to sound desperate, or disappointed...just the right touch of dejected, and he knew he’d get his way.

“Ah, it’s whatever, however long you want. Things have just been kinda shitty lately.” He could almost see the way his friend would be biting his lip and rolling his eyes, but it wasn’t long before the anticipated response came through.

“You want me to bring the whole gang?” He sounded sympathetic, and Gen winced; he might have understood a little _too_ well what Gen wanted.

“If they’re around. Haven’t had everyone together in a while, anyway, it’d be cool.” This time, the answering sigh was full of barely-contained laughter.

“Hang in there, Gen, we’ll be around in a minute.” The phone disconnected, and Genya let it fall apathetically from his hand. He needed to get himself together. This wasn’t a big deal. He just had to keep repeating that to himself. Saku. Angel. Some people just didn’t _want_ to be held as closely as you wanted to keep them. 

Lucky for him, he wasn’t left to his weak inner lamenting for long. He heard the front door open and close, but didn’t move. Seconds later, his bedroom door opened and then someone nudged at his foot. Genya heaved a sigh and held up a hand without looking, which was grasped before he was tugged upright.

Shigezane’s sunny grin right above him was the first thing he saw before a feminine coo behind the man stole his attention.

“Awh, Gen baby, are you _sad_?” A weight dropped down onto his bed beside him only a fraction of a second before a hand was stroking through his hair in a way that was definitely more than affectionate.

“Hey Yuki, Shigezane,” Gen greeted casually, propping himself up with an elbow and leaning around his best friend’s body, ducking out of Yuki’s hold as he nodded at the other man who was leaning against the doorframe. “What’s up, Kageie?” Then Gen let his eyes drift back to Shigezane and gave a halfhearted smile that was full of warmth despite himself. “Thanks for getting everyone together, man. Y’all wanna smoke?” 

It was a familiar, much practiced routine; the four of them drifting out to the living room, sprawling around the room, and then aimlessly talking as they passed around the weed. Over the course of several hours, Gen gave everyone a very brief glimpse into the pain of how the thing with Angel was, and then explained about the run-in with Saku and everything that had happened. 

“Oh, so _that’s_ what happened to your face,” Yuki hummed, tracing some of the bruising around his eyes before prodding none-too-gently at a particularly discolored spot just to watch him wince. “Here I was thinking your gambling had finally caught up to you.” Kageie came to Genya’s rescue, wrapping an arm around Yuki’s waist and pulling her into his side.

“Yeah but here he is tellin’ us it’s all about a lady friend, so keep your hands to yourself, yeah?” Kageie admonished Yuki without seeming to have a real care about the matter either way, but Yuki gave in almost _gracefully,_ for her; she must actually feel pretty bad for him.

“That’s no fun, Gen’s always been my favorite to play with. What am I gonna do, start climbing Shige?” She eyed their friend appraisingly, as if she was really considering it, but Shigezane just laughed her off.

“Sorry, Yuki, but a cute little thing at work caught my eye the other day and I think I might try my luck with her.” Yuki rolled her eyes and pouted against Kageie, and Gen chuckled at the sight. This was all so perfectly, blessedly _normal,_ and combined with the smoke, was exactly what he needed to reset after the past few days.

“So what do I do, you guys?” Gen finally whined after a bit more of their banter, slumping himself dramatically over the arm of the couch. Shigezane patted his head sympathetically, but Yuki punched his shoulder.

“You take what you can get and suck it up. The Gen I know wouldn’t get himself all hung up over some girl, and your brother kinda sounds like a jerk, no offense. You just keep doing you, honey.” Gen huffed, unsatisfied with that answer but unwilling to admit why. Then the front door burst open with a loud sound, followed by hushed laughter and voices. Oh wonderful. He didn’t even look up as he heard Angel and Hideyoshi stumble into the living room.

“Oh, hey friends, sorry about that,” he heard Hideyoshi greet them all with an embarrassed chuckle. “Pushed a little harder on the door than I’d meant to.” Gen could hear Angel’s little half-stifled giggles, could picture the rosy tint the alcohol she had surely consumed would bring to her cheeks. He would not let himself look. He would just-

“You- wait, _Angel_?” Gen’s heart sank when he heard Yuki’s voice, surprised and recognition coloring her tone. Shit, she put it together quicker than he would have expected...except, had he actually mentioned Angel by name? “What are you _doing_ here?” Gen finally caved and cracked his eye open at the almost accusatory question.

Angel was rooted to the spot, looking extremely intimidated and half-hidden behind a very confused Hideyoshi, who was looking back and forth between the girls.

“Do you know her?” he asked Angel lowly, jerking his head towards Yuki, who snorted at the pair of them. Before Gen could elbow her to remind her to watch her manners, Angel’s answer stopped him dead.

“Uh, this is Yuki...my roommate?” Genya’s head whipped to the side to see Yuki’s smug smile, and he couldn’t keep himself from blurting out his surprise.

“ _You’re_ the psycho roommate?” Yuki’s eyes narrowed and her expression hardened; oh, he was a fucking dumbass. Angel’s face went bright red and she retreated even further behind Hideyoshi, who looked so uncomfortable it was almost funny. Then Shigezane stepped in, taking his usual role at diffusing difficult situations.

“Yuki, leave the poor thing alone,” he reprimanded her with a teasing smile before throwing a wink towards Angel. Wait, _what_ -? “Hey, doll, fancy seeing you here.” Angel’s eyes grew wide, and Gen wanted to disappear. _Great,_ she knew Shige, too? 

“You’re...” she trailed off with a sharp intake of breath, and...was that a _blush_? “Shigezane, right? Sorry I was such a mess the other day...” Her voice faded, but Shigezane’s smile only grew broader. 

“Don’t even think of it,” he rebuffed her apology smoothly, and Gen had to fight to keep from kicking him. Especially when he continued, “So I hear you’ll be starting in the office next week?” Well, _that_ caught his girl’s attention; Angel looked overjoyed, though she kept her tone light.

“Oh, I hadn’t heard back, yet...did Doctor Katakura make a decision, then?” Gen had to hold in a groan. So she was about to start working with his shameless flirt of a friend. Faaantastic. Shigezane leaned back, hands behind his head in a way that was both completely casual and accentuated the muscles in his upper body.

“Didn’t hear it from me, but you may wanna prep some business casual outfits,” he laughed conspiratorially, and Angel was visibly relieved.

“That’s amazing, thank you so much!” She was heartfelt and enthusiastic, and Gen’s ire at his friend wilted in the face of her joy. What was he doing getting so possessive? Shige was a good guy, and if whatever they were talking about helped fix some of her problems...he should be on board with this. Whatever _this_ was. Hideyoshi smiled around at the group of them, but when Gen met his gaze he could tell the brunette was about as enthusiastic as he was.

“We should probably let you guys get back to your...” Hideyoshi let the words drift, gesturing vaguely towards the bong on the coffee table, and Angel clapped her hands over her mouth, looking embarrassed.

“Oh! You’re right, Hideyoshi, I’m sorry everyone. Hope you guys have a good night!” Angel gave them all a little wave, eyes lingering on Gen a little longer than they probably should have, but then she and Hideyoshi escaped back to the room they were sharing. Everyone was quiet for a long, uncomfortable moment. Then, Kageie started to laugh, quietly at first but escalating the harder Gen glared. Son of a-

“ _Gen,_ ” he wheezed, leaning around Yuki to stare at him, and Gen’s lips twisted into a snarl. “Don’t tell me. That’s your girl?” Kageie’s laughter doubled when Gen said nothing, only scowling harder at the coffee table in front of him. Yuki snorted, pushing away from Kageie to drape herself artfully over Gen’s lap.

“You could do _so_ much better, Genya,” she pouted up at him, and he pushed her back upright, jaw clenched.

“Get out of my house, you fuckers,” he growled, and they all cracked up like he’d just told the greatest joke. God, why was he friends with these people again?

“Well, that was... _incredibly_ uncomfortable,” Angel breathed as soon as the door had closed behind them. Hideyoshi had to agree with her, there...what was Gen doing hanging out with a girl who’d literally scared Angel so bad she avoided their place as much as possible? He couldn’t remember if she was one of the people who usually came around to hang out with Gen or not; Hideyoshi usually didn’t partake often anyways, let alone with a bunch of people he didn’t know. Well, whatever, he had other things he wanted to devote his attention to. They were still just inside the now closed door, and Hideyoshi caught her hand in his before she could move away.

“You sure you still just want to wrap up the evening with takeout and movies?” Her head tilted cutely as she looked from his hand up into his eyes, uncomprehending of his meaning.

“Yeah, that was the plan, wasn’t it? Or do you wanna leave since all of them are...?” Her words slowly fell away as Hideyoshi used their joined hands to pull her gently towards him, and she angled her head back to keep their gazes locked in a way that almost begged him to kiss her. Oh, he had every intention of meeting that request.

“I most _definitely_ don’t want to leave,” he purred, drawing her further forward until her other hand was against his chest, keeping her balanced. “I was just wondering if the plan was flexible enough for us to take a quick _detour._ ” He leaned in as he spoke, whispering the last word right against her lips, which parted beneath his breath almost unconsciously.

“U-Um...Hideyoshi, we shouldn’t...isn’t this our first date?” She was trying not to seem easy, and he could completely appreciate that, but...this _wasn’t_ a typical situation, and he needed to work for her favor in this one. 

“If you don’t want this, then we’ll stop. But don’t think about all the silly rules and traditions here, ‘cause that’s not what we’re doing, right?” He paused, waiting for a refusal, or an answer, _something,_ but Angel just bit her lip and kept those endlessly beautiful eyes trained on him. So he pushed his luck, raising his free hand and releasing her with the other to cup the sides of her face. His lips moved against hers when he spoke, just barely far enough from her skin to keep it from being a kiss. “I can let you go right now and call for the food. Do you want me to stop?” He waited. Watched her eyes seem to grow darker, pupils dilating slightly, before she let out a shaky breath. 

“No, not really,” she murmured, and a thrill went through him at the way her plump lower lip had dragged over his when she spoke. A low, pleased sound rumbled from him; he slid one of his hands down to her waist and took a step forward, guiding her backwards towards the bed with his body.

“You’ll tell me when you do want to stop?” She gasped delicately when the bed hit the backs of her legs and brought her to a halt.

“Y-yes,” she stammered, then gripped the front of his shirt with both fists. He barely had time to wonder what she was doing before she let herself fall backwards onto the bed, dragging him down with her. Hideyoshi caught himself with an arm on either side of her and looked down at her breathless grin. “You’ll be the first to know.” Hideyoshi chuckled, bringing his face down to leave nibbling kisses at the corner of her jaw. 

“Mm, good, because I wanna make tonight all about you.” His words were full of intensity despite coming as a low murmur, and he felt her shudder beneath him. Her hands released his shirt to stroke down his chest, feeling over his muscles in a way that nearly made him groan.

“Yeah? And what does that- ohh...” His lips had drifted lower, and when he bit down on the graceful column of her throat lightly, it broke her concentration and drew a faint moan from her as her body shifted, pressing up against his. His tongue soothed the spot before continuing its slow journey towards her collarbones, and her head tipped back to give him easier access. 

A quiet knock on the door made him pause.

“Hey, uh, Angel?” Gen’s hesitant voice on the other side of the door got Hideyoshi’s mind racing. He could later blame it on the couple of drinks he’d had while they were out, or his raging hormones in that moment, but the honest truth was that this idea had first occurred to him when the concept of _sharing_ first came up. If he wanted to _prove_ he had no intentions of fighting with Gen over her, what better way was there?

It would be risky. She could reject the idea immediately, offended and angry, but...he didn’t _think_ she would. If Gen objected, she would, too; a lot would hinge on the other man’s reaction. But...he could see this working, if Gen played along. He wouldn’t get a better opportunity to make the suggestion handed to him like this. He stared down at Angel, who was blushing deeply and looking towards the door.

“What?” she called back, voice higher and breathier than usual. Apparently, Gen didn’t notice, because the doorknob started to turn. Hideyoshi made his decision in the same second that Angel struggled to sit up; he held his position, keeping her from pushing herself all the way up, and whispered right into her ear that was now right next to his jaw.

“Don’t forget to tell me when to stop.” He saw her confused expression as her focus shifted to him, trying to read him, and Hideyoshi let a smirk spread across his face as they both heard Gen realize what he had walked in on.

“Sorry, I just wanted to...say...ahh, damn, my bad, you guys, I’ll just...” Gen was floundering, but Hideyoshi kept his eyes firmly pinned to the woman under him even as he called to Gen from over his shoulder, casually as he could manage.

“No worries, Gen. Wanna join us?”

Angel’s mind ground to a complete halt. She could not process... _what_ had Hideyoshi just said?! Surely, she’d misheard him, hearing something she might have but wouldn’t ever admit to fantasizing about instead. Gen looked about as stunned as she felt for a solid two seconds before stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. He didn’t move from that position, though.

“What does our little Angel have to say about that?” he asked, speaking to Hideyoshi but seeking out her eyes peeking over the brunette’s shoulder. Was he asking her permission?! Her eyes flew back to Hideyoshi, who still wore a smugly satisfied smile that she couldn’t understand. At least, not until-

“You haven’t said you want to stop yet,” he murmured, smile widening as her mouth fell open. Were they actually serious? Her eyes darted back to Gen, who seemed to have caught on to Hideyoshi’s game before her. Crimson eyes burned into hers, focused on nothing else.

“I can play by those rules, too, y’know,” he hummed, his familiar lopsided grin making her heart beat unevenly even from within her place in Hideyoshi’s arms. They...were serious. This was actually happening. Her heart spluttered frantically as they both waited on her to do something, _say_ something, but she couldn’t form words. Gen’s smile grew softer, sadder, but stayed intact. “I’ll just go, gorgeous, it’s no big-“

“No.” The word had left her before she’d realized she was speaking, followed quickly by, “Don’t go.” He raised an eyebrow at her, and the fire returned to his stare. Without breaking eye contact, he leaned back, and the sound of the lock clicking into place made her heart jump and her stomach drop in anticipation. She was burning with shame, her sordid fantasies exposed to the both of them, and yet...it wasn’t enough to overshadow the nervous excitement that flooded her veins. 

It was as if both men could sense the shift in her from bewildered to heated, too. Gen approached languidly while Hideyoshi dipped his head, pushing her back down onto the bed with just the pressure of his kisses on her neck and jawline. His lips finally met hers just as a weight dipped the bed to their side, and Angel’s pulse thundered in her ears as Hideyoshi gently coaxed hers into responding. Almost as soon as she began to move her lips along with his, however, he playfully drew back to smirk over at Gen, sprawled out on his side next to them.

“This one’s just about spoiling her. Think we can manage that?” Could _she_? Oh god, the idea alone left her weak; the two of them working together to ‘spoil’ her was _literally_ a dirty fantasy. Gen’s fingers were suddenly on her chin, tilting her face towards him.

“Only of you’ll actually say you want it, though. I still haven’t heard a ‘yes.’” His fingers would not allow her to turn her head and escape from his expectant focus. Hideyoshi rolled off of her and onto her other side, and though she couldn’t turn to look, she felt his fingers brushing the sensitive skin at her waist, revealed by her shirt riding up from their earlier actions. Her lips parted, trying to think of a way to say that she wanted this without sounding ridiculous or needy, and Gen took advantage of her pause to press the pad of his thumb against her lower lip, seeming to enjoy the slight give under the pressure.

“Yes,” escaped her, small and shaky, and Hideyoshi’s fingers shifted higher and with more purpose as Gen’s eyes shone. He leaned in to replace his thumb with his lips, fitting them together in a way that made it clear he was taking his directive seriously. He dove into the kiss, teeth and tongue gently teasing at her until she sighed her appreciation and opened up to him. His tongue swept into her mouth in an easy motion, drawing hers into joining him. 

She was so wrapped up in him that the hand trailing up her side was almost forgotten until Hideyoshi brought the other one up to join it. Gen still hadn’t released her chin, and she shuddered under the nimble fingers slowly stroking her and easing her shirt out of the way. Gen’s tongue retreated to let his teeth catch her lower lip, which he tugged at softly before letting go altogether. 

“Angel,” he groaned, pressing another brief but almost painfully sweet kiss onto her, “can I touch you, too?” He was _enjoying_ this, she realized, hearing her admit to desiring him. Them. She might have tried to hold her tongue, but Hideyoshi’s hands were finally high enough to graze the sides of her breasts where her bra did not cover them, and a startled squeak escaped her.

“A-ah...yes, _please,_ ” she gasped, and Gen finally let go of her chin with a smirk. He gripped her shirt, now bunched up and leaving her stomach bare, and eased it off of her at the same time Hideyoshi drifted even higher to cup her through the bra that still remained. Then Gen’s hands sought her out, too, and Angel nearly forgot how to breathe.

While Hideyoshi’s hands were warm and purposeful in their motions, Gen’s were cooler and took liberties Hideyoshi hadn’t. He sought out places like the dips in her collarbones and the spaces between her ribs, tracing every part of her with a reverence she hadn’t imagined him to possess. Hideyoshi was his opposite, agile fingers seeking to find and stimulate her nipples, rolling and pinching them gently but directly and earning a gasp from her. 

Then the bra went slack and was casually removed as well; she’d hardly noticed Gen undoing the clasp when her back arched under Hideyoshi’s touch. Oh, no, they were working _together_...Angel wasn’t sure if that idea was terrifying or sinfully appealing, but she no longer possessed the frame of mind to consider it further. Taking advantage of the second Hideyoshi paused to appreciate the sight of her, Gen brushed aside one of the brunette’s hands as his mouth lowered to cover one of the sensitive peaks. 

Angel jumped and squirmed as his tongue circled and his teeth scraped, and then a strangled shout left her unbidden when a second warm heat enveloped her other nipple just as Gen bit down on the first. Hideyoshi’s fingers tickled the underside of her breast even as his tongue lavished her with attention, while Gen showed no mercy, nibbling and sucking until she realized one of her hands had made its way into his hair and was gripping him tightly. They were too much, too good; her entire body was trembling by the time Gen’s kisses began to wander.

Cold air on her damp skin was quickly replaced by Hideyoshi’s fingers as he tried valiantly to keep her distracted from the openmouthed kisses Gen was trailing down her side. She couldn’t keep from twitching when Gen paused to suck marks into her pale flesh, or when he surprised her with a bite right above her hip, and then moaned helplessly when Hideyoshi shifted to capture her other nipple with his lips, leaving the former under his fingers instead. Her hands sought out the collar of his shirt unthinkingly, pulling at it faintly in an attempt to remove it, but without warning Hideyoshi caught her hand and pinned it to the bed beside her head. His mouth left her, and when he grinned up at her it was absolutely devastating.

“Ah, ah, ah,” he chided her teasingly, leaning up to look into her face, “none of that. This is _all_ about you.” She pouted up at him, relaxing her grip on Gen’s hair so that she could bring her free hand up to try again.

“Doesn’t sound very fun, what exactly are you- hnngh!” She was no longer focused on Hideyoshi when he captured her other hand easily with a chuckle.

“I think Gen’s got a pretty good idea.” For while they were talking, Gen had moved to position himself between her legs, and his teeth scraped sharply against her hipbone as his hands made short work of the button on her jeans. Hideyoshi gave her no more time than that before his lips met hers in a kiss that was dominating and possessive and commanded her attention away from how Gen was letting his mouth taste every inch of leg he revealed.

It was exquisite torture, without a doubt. Hideyoshi’s hands held hers down on the bed, inescapable as iron shackles as he shaped her mouth to his with unyielding force; it was perfect counterpoint to the painstakingly gentle and slow brush of Gen’s feather-light touches as he worked his way back up after removing her pants completely. Fire and ice, opposite yet working in tandem, and she did not even have the power to reciprocate their touches. When Gen set his teeth into her inner thigh hard enough to leave a mark, her shock was so great it caused her to jerk in their hold and let out a loud yelp only slightly muffled by Hideyoshi’s mouth on hers. The silver-haired man soothed the spot with licks and sucking kisses as Hideyoshi leaned back, chuckling. 

“Too much?” he crooned without releasing her, looking exceptionally pleased about something. Angel shook her head quickly, and felt Gen drag his tongue along her inner thigh for several inches which sent her heart leaping into her throat. Then he sat up, too, chuckling darkly.

“Then you gotta try to keep it down, gorgeous. We’ve got _roommates._ ” Hideyoshi laughed at that, and Angel probably would have been mortified if Gen’s next words hadn’t completely derailed her train of thought. “Bet I’d do a better job keeping her quiet. Switch me.” Her heart hammered as Hideyoshi caught her eye and winked cheekily.

“If you want me to stop but can’t tell me, just kick me and I’ll get off.” Before she could protest the idea, however, Gen slid up the length of her body and wasted no time before he was kissing her senseless. She hardly noticed when Hideyoshi released her and Gen intertwined their fingers, still holding her securely to the bed. 

There was no room to imagine what Hideyoshi was doing out of her line of sight between Gen’s hard kisses and gently teasing tongue. She took the initiative to seek out his tongue with hers, and Gen sucked her into his mouth with a little growl that sent a pleasant shiver down her spine to light a fire in her belly. Only then did she realize what Hideyoshi was up to; fingertips stroked the very seam of her through the thin panties she still wore. 

“Mm, this is okay, then?” he teased, and Angel still managed to blush when she realized he was noting how damp the fabric was. She couldn’t respond even if she’d known what to say, though, as Gen was barely giving her enough space to breathe. Hideyoshi stroked her again, and then the third time he pressed down just enough to strike the bundle of nerves at the apex of her sex, and Angel’s hips jerked reflexively as Gen swallowed down the low moan that accompanied it. She could almost _picture_ the smug expression Hideyoshi wore as he repeated the motion exactly a few more times, and then cold air hit her as her underwear was moved aside and she was exposed. 

Angel braced herself for another stroke of his fingers, sure to be so much better without fabric on the way, but when something wet and textured rubbed against her core instead she nearly leapt out of her skin. She was suddenly intensely grateful for the hold Gen had on her, because had he not been keeping her hands firmly planted she might have pushed Hideyoshi away in surprise, when that was absolutely the _last_ thing she wanted right now. His tongue was teasing, tasting her slowly, putting the smallest bit of pressure where she wanted it the most, and Angel was writhing under Gen after only a few minutes of the treatment. Hands suddenly wound around the tops of her thighs, holding her steady.

“Don’t scream,” Hideyoshi murmured, voice rough despite his humor, and then his head dipped and his mouth closed over the pearl of her sex. And despite the warning, scream Angel _did._ Hideyoshi’s tongue was circling and flicking and stroking even as he sucked on her before he eased back to lick his way into her, and she could not control the sounds that poured from her which were hastily muffled by Genya. He transferred both of her hands into one of his, and then his newly freed fingers wove into her hair, angling her head back so that he could deepen their kiss. 

Hideyoshi’s hands anchored her hips well, and his mouth was winding a coil of heat within her so tightly that she lost every thought except that she needed _more._ Then the brunette’s teeth scraped the sensitive bundle and her hips bucked, desperately trying to draw out the sensation. Instead, Hideyoshi’s laughter huffed against her inner thighs. 

“You trying to tell me to stop?” he asked, false concern coloring his tone as he pressed his lips against her skin. The coil was wound to the breaking point, ready to snap at the right touch, but he was _toying_ with her. Angel whimpered, and Gen slid his fingers out of her locks to trace her jawline.

“Go easy on her, Monkey,” he murmured between kisses, fingers trailing down her throat, “I don’t think she can take much more waiting.” Gen’s lips sought out the curve of her ear, and the little bites and passes of his tongue made her shiver. 

“A-Ah...!” her voice caught when Gen’s fingers traced their way around and across her chest just to catch one of her nipples again, and when he pinched it, her entire torso lifted off the mattress as her back arched. Hideyoshi took that opportunity to taste her in earnest, moving his lips and tongue against and inside her in ways similar to the kisses he’d overpowered her with initially. Gen’s mouth was on her neck and his fingers were brushing their way down her stomach and there was nothing to stifle the long, wordless cry that escaped her. 

Rather than silence her, Gen released her hands in favor of supporting himself as he shifted a little bit further down at her side; it allowed his wandering hand greater range to continue down her body, to where Hideyoshi was very thoroughly turning her into a meal. Gently, too gently, Gen skimmed his fingertips against her cluster of nerves, and her entire body shook as she gasped harshly.

“ _Please,_ ” she begged desperately, not even sure what she was asking for, just _so close_ to the end she was being guided towards. In answer, Gen began touching her in earnest even as Hideyoshi’s mouth left her, nearly making her call out but for the fact that his hand was on her in almost the same second, stroking between obscenely wet folds to dip just fractionally inside her. 

Too much; not enough. Angel felt herself shuddering on the edge of something incredible, tried to grind down onto the finger at her entrance, but Hideyoshi had a shoulder beneath one leg and a vice-like grip on the other. He obliged her, though, sinking one finger and then two into her velvety warmth. 

Gen’s hand slowed and Angel was vaguely aware of him shifting his position again, but the only thing she could pay attention to was the drag and press of Hideyoshi’s digits inside of her. He played her body like an instrument; curling his fingers against places that made her see stars, rubbing her just right as he withdrew, pressing his thumb against her clit when Gen’s touch left her, yet seemed to be holding back. Every muscle in her body was taut, every part of her being focused on the way she was _there,_ at the very edge, but just not _quite_...

They clearly coordinated their timing, for at the same moment Hideyoshi added a third finger and rocked his hand into her, Gen’s mouth descended onto the already overstimulated mass of nerves at her apex, sucking and licking as the two of them forced her body into an orgasm the likes of which she’d never experienced. Her body spasmed and pulsed as she rode out wave after wave of a pleasure nearly violent in its strength. 

Her ears were ringing with a note that finally cut off when she collapsed back against the mattress; had it been _her_ creating that piercing sound? She was tingling all over, actively melting into a puddle of pure bliss. Gen had already moved back from her at some point; Hideyoshi withdrew his hand cautiously, and then threw himself down onto the bed at her side. She could not yet find the strength to open her eyes, though, and she heard Gen chuckle from somewhere above and on her other side. 

“I think we broke her,” he stage-whispered to Hideyoshi, and Angel felt her lips twitch upward at that. 

“Nah, it’s just a hard reset. She’ll start up again at some point.” Hideyoshi’s arm draped over her waist, pulling her completely limp body to him and pressing her back against his chest, and the bed shifted in the direction Gen’s voice had come from. 

“Well, glad to be of service,” the silver-haired man hummed, and the bed started to rise on his side, but before he could actually stand Angel poured the last of her energy into reaching out to catch his hand. 

“Stay,” she commanded weakly. A beat of silence followed in which she worried if that was too much to ask of him before Gen settled himself against her front, resting his forehead against hers. 

“Maybe we’re spoiling her,” he murmured to Hideyoshi as he pulled a blanket up over her, and she felt the brunette’s laugh through his embrace. 

“I would hope so,” Hideyoshi joked back. Content, exhausted, and tucked securely between the two warm bodies on either side of her, Angel let herself drift off to the sound of them bantering quietly back and forth. 

**Author's Note:**

> Like what you see here? I’ve got more!  
> Branch out into different fandoms and check out some of my other works! ❤️


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